The Uprising of Extinction
by Miss Andromeda Prime
Summary: Slightly AU Age of Extinction: The mixing of species has upset the cosmic balance, indeed; and the cause has betrayed them all. All except one cause, and a few others. Mira, an Autobot loyalist from the beginning of the war, will end this fight between man and Cybertronian; even if it means forsaking her own people for a cause far greater than herself, or those she loves most.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: _I based this piece off of Transformers: Age of Extinction, having added OC's of my own; though my involvement with this genre has been extremely...scarce as of late.

Having made this TAoE, I find it is only fair to warn you that this contains spoilers...MANY of them. I've seen the film twice and highly recommend it. To attempt to understand this, doing your world wide web homework or attending the film is advised.

Be aware-there will be changes.

One, being, the protagonist. She is an OC. Freshly new to the series, she is preexisting to the Autobot/Human cause, though you won't find her previously in any of my listings. Keep in mind, however, she does have a past with the Autobots...one that has yet to be written. If you want dirt on her; message me, keep in touch with the plotline, and DON'T SKIP THE PROLOGUE.

* * *

**Prologue**

There was silence as the heavy doors closed, echoing off the empty briefing room. A dim light hung hair above their heads in a cathedral ceiling, a fan humming in duty. All eyes were on the man in the Gucci suit as he approaches the conference table, situating his glasses on his face and looking demanding, if not intimidating. He held power in a straight lip and shot a look to his assistant. She handing him six briefing folders, all a dark charcoal color matching his suit, and marked CONFIDENTIAL in red lettering. He tossed them on the table with a flick as her heels clicked against the floor. He watched her, devouring her presence, until she was seated at the head of the conference table across from him.

The four others; The Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary, Vice President, and the CIA Director, watched the folders with eyeing suspicion.

"Welcome, gentlemen," he announced strongly. The room's atmosphere grew weightier, and the men perked to a prickling attention at his voice. The man, now obviously in charge of the debriefing, gazed at the woman and raised his chin. She rose slowly and headed to the corner, where a computer station was lumbering quietly. She clicked it on and inserted a USB drive. "Welcome to the future of our nation, the future of humanity, and the future of the world."

A wall of windows instantly darkened into screens. The man raised his hands and gestured to the wall with his head, and they all turned. He grabbed the folders as motioned for his assistant to begin the slides. She nodded, pulled up the show, and hurried over. Handing him the control device, he slipped the files into her hand and she slowly made her way around the table, dropping folders into the men's hands.

"Three years ago," he began, "one of our nation's sparkling cities-Chicago-experienced one of the most feared, franchised, and devastating occurrences in world history." He stopped as he brought up the decal for a military/CIA operated group. "That, gentlemen, was the Chicago War, between aliens, who sought to ravage our world of life, energy, and freedom, by infecting it with their war. Our government, having been deceived by these 'Autobots'," he made quotes with his fingers, "liberates itself today.

"During the alliance with the Autobots, the U.S. military spawned the 'Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty', or NEST operation. Today is the anniversary of the severing of that treaty, and today I introduce to you the new operations manager of the disbanding operation to rid our world the Autobots-and their Decepticons. That man is James Savoy. Unfortunately, due to previous engagements, he was unable to join us." he clicked through the presentation.

He lulled on about the Autobots and their destructive capabilities. He led them through the file, section by section; explaining the motto of the new operation entitled "Cemetery Wind", which would rid the U.S. of Transformers threats for good by taking matters into human hands. He got reassuring nods and confirming smirks, and wrinkled brows of confusion. He explained the war on tyranny he was leading, an honorable fight to make the world human again and take back what the enemy Transformers had stolen. Then, he went into the targets CW was after.

"Six of them were provided sanction," he had seated himself now and rubbed his bearded chin, "the others...unaccounted for. We've extinguished most of them...and are still looking for their Commander. The Decepticons, have, well...have yet to be encountered. Our primary goal now is to rid the people of the deception through the Autobots and their talk of allegiance. No more of our blood needs to be shed at their hands."

There was silence as he led them on.

He was stopped around page 40 when a man from the left row; stout, but commanding and aged with experience-the Sec Def-raised a hand slightly from his folder and cut him off mind sentence. "And what of the human operatives of NEST?" he challenged. The room was dead still after all heads turned to attend his question, "Have they been...refocused?"

He leaned back in his chair as his assistant stood brittley still behind him. "The NEST operatives were relocated to refocus groups in the South Mediterranean, where they were away from the Autobots and their technology. Most of them were refocused and restationed."

"Most?" he gave him an unimpressed look.

"Most," he continued, "but not all. Three-the biggest in the business, you could say," he cleared his throat, "managed escape, presumably with Autobot assistance. They boarded a flight under alibis and disappeared here on American soil-" he clicked through the presentation until three side-by-side shots held the attention of the room. "-and we had no trace of them until recently. Well, two-thirds of them."

"Wait. Two-thirds? What about the other?" The Secretary chided.

"Currently, unaccounted. We're still searching. It takes time to pin them down. Remember, they have trained and fought side-by-side with masters of disguise. They know how to get around town. But, we've managed. An army chasing AWOL's leaves the AWOL's between a rock and a hard place, however. CW is currently looking for them, as well."

"So, if you don't know where they are," the Deputy nudged his way into the conversation, "then how do you know they aren't working with the Autobots? Carrying the banner? Continuing the cause?"

"If they were continuing the cause, we would know about it," he jutted in defensively, "there would be suspicions in cities, locations, more energy readings, an uprising of loyals. The entire operation would be back together. We know how to track the Autobots-and how to take them down, Deputy. If humans were allegedly allied with these Transformers, trust me, we would know. The people would know."

"Who are these people?" the Vice President asked cautiously. "And what about the other two?"

He gestured to the far right. "They are the three who have been with the Transformers since the arrival of the Autobots on Earth. Major William Lennox; basically the head of NEST field operations," he pointed to the far right, "And Captain Robert Epps," a small, satisfied smile pulled at his lips, "a fighter, techy type soldier only holding rank because his buddy's in charge. Both of them were shot-on-sight almost a year ago."

The room got quiet, and a small gasp came from behind him. He turned his chair to face his assistant, as the rest of the room shot their eyes in her direction. Realizing her mistake, she promptly turned on the ball of her foot and left the room. He chuckled and returned to his explanation.

"The third," he got up and cupped his hands behind him, "is peculiar. No military background, record, or involvement with any military operation before NEST. A nobody, essentially," he looked up at the middle picture, a striking woman war-torn and with fire in her eyes. Around her neck was the object of his personal concern. "Until the Autobots came to Earth, she was no one. Just a journalist. She, however, entered government concern when she allied herself with the Autobot Commander, Optimus Prime, and fought beside him in Mission City, Cairo, and Chicago. She's what we call a Underdog-there only because she can be."

* * *

_Three Years Previous_

_Chicago_

_"Prime!"  
She shouldered past the crowd, which had gathered to gawk at the remains of fallen adversaries and heroes. Others wept over lost ones, while others scanned the skies beholding the destruction. The military had already begun intervening, providing medical care to the critically wounded. Unable to conceal the Transformers any longer, the Autobots stayed bi-pedal, taking in the moment of their victory, and their losses. _

_ She was roughly shoved away from a bulky figure bent over the corpse of a woman, sobbing hysterically and screaming at the sky. Her heart screamed at his cry, but her attention focused on the towering figure 40 feet above her, the figure staring off into the horizon, utterly speechless at the death of a mentor, an enemy, and a city. She'd seen that look before in his optics; the emptiness that screamed from him. _

_ "Optimus!" she slowed to a stop as she came up beside him on the bridge. He looked down to her and then back to the horizon, ignoring both her and the stares coming from every direction. Dangerously wounded with the loss of an arm, and bitterly angered by his own actions, she blinked and touched his foot with a gentle, bloody hand. "Optimus, please. Say something."_

_ "There is nothing to be said." He completed his statement by turning from her. _

_ "And what on Earth is that supposed to mean?" she challenged, crossing her arms and cocking a hip. "Don't you dare walk away from me, Optimus Prime!" She followed his as he slowed, purposefully, looking down at her as she treaded the destroyed asphalt beside him, dodging holes and chunks of pavement. "There is nothing to be said? Really?" she spread out her arms. "There's everything to be said about what you did today." He looked away, only to have her cut in front of him. He caught sight of her and jerked to an abrupt halt, unwilling to go forward with her in front of him. "You freed a people. Your people. From a leadership corrupted by war." _

_ "I destroyed a legend, a leader." _

_She was quiet a long moment, holding his gaze, before she spoke. "You destroyed a legend to be a leader."_

_ "He was a Prime!" he challenged her, taking a step forward. She took one half step back. "He taught me everything I know about myself. He taught me Cybertron."_

_ "He taught you of destruction and revenge, and you learned peace and unity. He taught you law, and you learned justice! He taught you death, and you learned life," she declared. _

_ "He is a Prime. I am a Prime. We are essentially one."_

_ "There is a difference between who you are and what he was. Where he saw hopelessness and something lesser, you saw cause and something great."_

_ "I killed a brother."_

_ "You saved my life! Our lives! Your people!" she challenged, "and that, Optimus Prime, is leadership. You make decisions that benefit the many, in a way that hurts only one. Not all of those decisions turn out as we would like, my friend." She looked at him, blinked her strikingly blue eyes, and said, "You are my friend first. My Commander second. I'm sorry for breaking rank and speaking against an officer," and she walked past him. _

_ He pondered her words. So strong, for one so small. He realized then she would've made a powerful, wise Prime if only she were of his kind-she was, essentially. He had learned so much from her these years on Earth. Everything she explained she explained with clarity and strength, knowledge, and wisdom. He understood that she was a rarity among humans, one that was uniquely and specially designed for her destiny, her fate. He was fortunate to have such a comrade, even if from a different race and planet. _

_ She was right. He had made a decision, a decision to break away from the mold of Prime's focused only on the preservation and prosperity of themselves, and their realm of control. That decision had solidified in the blast to Sentinel's chest, an explosion from his very spark defying the odds of the galaxy and the history of Cybertron's Prime's. He had liberated himself from law and bound himself towards justice, and had freed himself from protection and into the arms of defense. He'd found something greater than himself...he found her, and her kind. _

_ He turned to watch her, such a small thing, walk straight into the arms of Major William Lennox, where she practically fell against him. She began to cry, then pushed away from him and to the railing of the bridge. There they argued hotly for a moment, pointing and gesturing to damage. Then, she thrust a finger in his direction, tossed him a hurt gaze, and then started sobbing again. She was welcomed again into his arms, where he rubbed her back and whispered into her ear. He shot Optimus a look from where he was standing that asked for an explanation. Optimus closed his optics and looked down. His ignorance and pride had hurt her. _

_ And, that was something he had willed himself not to do._

* * *

"What's that, around her neck?" the Vice President asked, pointing.

"That," he raised his voice, "is the reason we are here." The room's tension thickened. "She, gentlemen, is Optimus Prime's confidante. His ally. His _friend. _He trusts her more than anyone else on this planet, and she will do whatever it takes to find him and reunite NEST and its operatives, however few there are.

She possess the Shield of the Matrix, an inner part of the Matrix of Leadership given only by a Prime to a most trusted soldier. It signifies their allegiance, her never-ending loyalty to him. It is a powerful tool she has been trained, taught, and skilled in using. With that, we can fully utilize the weapondry we have collected from the other dead Transformers...it will give us every code, blueprint, activation point, and layout of how to use them...and form them to our military."

The Secretary's eyes widened.

"She is the reason we are meeting her today. I have an asset-a very big asset-that will help us find her, and Optimus Prime. A deal is to be entered-between us and him. He wants Optimus Prime and her," he pointed to the woman in the middle of the screen, "for reasons unknown. For reasons, I frankly don't care about."

"And in return?"

He smiled. "Something far greater than we could imagine." He straightened his tie and cut the presentation. The men around the table got up.

"Our mission, gentlemen," he began almost heroically, "is to find and kill any Autobot other than Optimus Prime, and to find and terminate and member of NEST that is not that woman. Upon any surveillance of them, you are immediately to hand them over to Cemetery Wind. This is primary objective of the CIA..."

A wicked spark ignited in his eyes. "...and my personal undertaking."


	2. One

**Chapter One**

**...**

_"Will! Oh my gosh, Will! God, no, please!"_

_ "__**Bobby, would you do something!?" **__the voice over the comm line was hushed, aggravated, and panicked. __**"Don't let her out here, Epps! Get her out of here, man! Now!"**_

_ "Will!" Her screams were deafened when a heavy hand clapped over her mouth. Tears began to burn in her eyes, fear pitting itself in her stomach and nesting there like a bird in summer. The thick body pulled her into the darkness of the shadows, yanked her to the ground, and whispered into her ear harshly. Her body flailed until she realized the voice was her friend. then she relaxed. _

_ "Mira! Stop it! It's me-Epps!" _

_She nodded, mumbling, "Mhm! MMhmmm! MMHMMM!" He finally released her, frustrated. "Bobby! They've got Will!"_

_ She bolted from the shadows, towards the forming circle of black SUV's with brushguards and searchlights and sirens. A helicopter hovered overhead a lone figure, an AK47 draped over his shoulders, masked in black cargo pants and a black t-shirt. His face was marred with sweat, dirt, and now, blood._

_ Bobby tackled her to the ground behind a stack of oil drums. She was crying, hardly audible over the pounding of helicopter blades and hustle of men with guns all cocking to life. Once satisfied she would not run away, only sob, he released her. Both of them peered over the drums, roughly 100 yards away from the scene. A man in a black trench-coat approached the lone ranger in the middle. He pulled no punches, made no snappy lines over the comm. He just pulled out a Baretta and pointed it at the man's face. _

_ "Tell me where Miriam is, Will. Tell me where she is, and you walk."_

_ Will raised his chin, defiant like he always was. Mira's heart began to pound harder like a defense cannon letting off rounds as she waited, listening to his breathing. Her body began to tremble and Bobby put a strong arm around her. She clutched into him, trying to draw some sort of resolve to compose herself. Bile began to built in her throat, and a shiver shook her bones. The dust of Prime's retreat had fallen now, leaving an eerily still night. _

_ "Then I guess I'm not going anywhere." Will challenged. _

_The man in the overcoat gave a half-smile, almost a smirk, and tilted his head to the side. She shrugged his shoulders. "We all go somewhere, Lennox." _

_ He pulled the trigger._

"Will! No!"

Miriam Lennox bolted up from her side of the bed, a cool film of sweat blanketing her skin. She clicked on the side lamp, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to rest on the cool wooden floor beneath her. Shaking had returned to her limbs, and she pulled the satin robe from the foot of the bed, draping it around her shoulders. She looked at the picture on her bed-side table, a happy little snapshot of the Lennox's almost a long while ago.

Her, of course, in the middle of Will and their at the time three-year-old son, Merrick. The only one really focused on the camera was the toddler-only because of mere interest-his parents smiling proudly in the sunshine of a wildflower patch on "vacation" in Maine that June. Bobby had snapped the picture of them.

Will haunted her dreams rarely anymore, except when it came to the anniversary of his death every year. Then her subconscious would pull him from the ranks of her memories and flaunt him before her in her dreams, which had once been reality. She grabbed the picture and gazed into his face, joy spread across his eyes. She only wished her stepdaughter, Annabelle, had been there...she cursed Sarah from keeping the girl from them. Annabelle and Merrick had been Will's loves, his passion. She found him at his purest in their presence. Sarah had seen otherwise.

It was nearly six, and Mira had much to do. She made coffee in the kitchen, reasoning to leave the house dark. Texas really was only Texas when the sunrise lit up your living room, so she resolved to wait until the purple and oranges flooded the sky before any man-made light hit the room. She grabbed the New King James off the desk in the living room and flipped it open to the well-worn page of Psalm 38, scanning down to verse 18.

_"God is near to the brokenhearted..." _

"You'd better believe it," she looked out the window at the plains; still in the night, the sky writhing with traces stars beginning to fade into morning. Grief pulled at her heart and she glanced at the wedding ring on her left hand; a simple diamond on a silver band. Then she looked at her thumb, where Will's band wrapped tightly around in a silver sphere.

She got up. She had things to do today.

Taking a shower bought her time until roughly six thirty. Dawn had began to spread throughout the sky, lightening her bathroom as she slipped into her robe. Hurrying from the bathroom, she hustled down the hall to Merrick's bedroom, where the six-year-old was slumbering soundly still. Stopping at his bedside, she removed the picture of Will from the boy's arms and set it on the shelf above his bed, then ripped the camouflage blanket from his body. She shook him awake gently.

"Merrick, honey, wake up. It's coming."

The small boy opened his eyes and propped himself up on one arm. She smiled at him, removing the towel from her wet hair and pulling at her sopping curls with her fingers. The boy slogged out of bed and took her hand, following her down the hall and towards the front porch. They stepped into the dry air and seated themselves on the swing. Mira used her foot to rock them softly, Merrick resting his head against her chest and gazing at the horizon.

"Do you think Daddy asks God to do this every day for us?" he suddenly asked. It made Mira stop a moment and take a deep breath. Merrick missed his father every day since his death a year ago. Since then the boy had changed-he no longer ran around with a smile on his face or had stars in his eyes. Instead, he played quietly and his eyes were dull, without joy. Mira had told him her father died in a battle, which hadn't been a lie since he was a soldier, and he thought that was admirable; but as any child would at the loss of a father, didn't care. He wanted his father.

"I...think Daddy might," she whispered, nuzzling her nose into his hair. She reached for the necklace secured around her neck, running her thumb over the emblazoned metal carefully. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to remember yet another companion-her other best friend-who had left her. Her heart twisted and she sniffled. She had so many she missed and so few she saw. There were so many she had seen that were killed...

They sat for about an hour watching the sky change color. As Merrick drifted back off to sleep, Mira began making a list of everything she would need before her night out. She began taking inventory of everything in the back of her truck, making a mental note of what to take and toss. She'd need to run into town before heading out to the docks tonight.

Picking up Merrick and setting him on the couch, Mira buried herself in the task of dressing and prepping. She pulled the Nike gym bag from the top shelf of her closet and checked her uniform: black cargo pants, a black long-sleeved v-neck, combat boots, her camo field hat, and a Baretta. Mixed in there was an assortment of knives, ammo, grenades and other utilities needed for reconnaissance. Zipping the bag, she hurled it onto the bed and locked the door behind her.

Around nine Merrick was up and into a lively re-run of Indiana Jones when Mira silenced the TV. Hands on her hips, she pointed in the direction of his bedroom, "Merrick Elijah Lennox, get yourself into that room and dressed." She looked at her watch and her eyes widened. "We need to be in town in an hour! Hup to, young man!" she ushered him into his room where he began undressing and whipping his pajamas in every direction. Yanking open his drawers, she found something suitable.

"Why are we going into town, Mama?" he asked loudly. She wrangled him into a pair of tan cargo pants and a Batman t-shirt. Handing him his boots, he began to tackle the assignment as she hurried to throw his bed into a job she would call made. "Are we getting groceries?"

"Mama needs to go get some stuff," she uttered under her breath, unwilling to tell him about her arms deal later that afternoon, "and you're going to Conner's. To spend the night."

"Alright!" He exclaimed. Grabbing a backpack packed from the night before, he reached for a toy pistol and a semi-truck without the trailer before bursting out the door. Mira was quick to follow, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and retrieving her bag from her bedroom. Flicking off the lights, she didn't bother to lock the front door as she hustled down the steps towards the Chevy Silverado, where Merrick was already buckled into his booster.

She tossed the bag into the backseat beside him, and he stared at it, confused. "What's that?"

"That's my stuff," she huffed, slamming the keys into the ignition. With a crank she started it and threw it into reverse, pulling the wheel all the way and ripping out of the driveway. "And you aren't looking in there, got it?" she pointed at him and gave him a warning look. He nodded.

"Good." She pulled the truck into drive and tore out of the driveway and down the road.

...

The man in the trench coat ran the blade of his knife gently across the skin of his thumb, watching the man in front of him pace back and forth, muttering slightly under his breath. He rolled his eyes and let his feet drop from the top of the man's desk.

"So, you want me to haul my team all the way do the south coast for a hunch you can't even prove is legitimate?" the man muttered again into a Blackberry pressed against his ear. "No, no, I don't want maybe's. I want yes'. No's. Solid facts! If you can't tell me you have a lock...well, good then. If it's a definite lock, fine...yes, I said it, fine. I'll be down there in four hours. Have your men waiting. Yep." He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket, stopping to look at the man with the knife.

"He says they have a lock on him," he approached the desk, pressing his fingertips into it and leaning forward. "This one will talk."

The man gave a sarcastic snort. "Really? Like all the others did too, huh, Attinger? No one's talking, and Prime's bookin' across the country faster than hell on wheels. Your asset sure has to be gettin' itchy fingers, waiting around on you all this time. Pretty soon he's just going to find Prime himself and leave you-"

"Watch your mouth, Savoy!" Attinger exclaimed, throwing an accusing finger at him, "My asset isn't willing to expose himself quite yet. I'll hold up my end of the bargain, I always do. I'll get him Prime, and Lennox. I had one, remember."

Savoy smirked, "But he wanted his wife," he added.

"A minor setback."

"Minor or major, a setback is a setback."

Attinger nodded. "You're right. Well, tonight at the coast we'll get that one to talk, and that will be the end of it. And once I have Prime, he'll point me straight towards Lennox, because he won't risk hurting her. He'll sing like a canary."

"A 40-foot canary with big guns and guts," Savoy muttered.

Attinger glared at him. "The medic will talk."

"And what if he doesn't?"

A smile pulled at his face. "I'll use my asset."

**...**

Mira's deal wasn't until four, the guy she'd met at ten informed her. Grumbling and unappreciate, she sent him off with a friendly slap to the shoulder. Making her way back towards the Silverado, she opened the back passenger door and unbuckled Merrick's seatbelt. To make matters worse, her camera she needed tonight was broken and in dire need of fixing before she could take it out anywhere. Overall upset and unwilling to battle any other setbacks, she opened the door wider for Merrick.

"Are we going to Conner's yet?" he asked curiously. He rolled the semi along the headrest of the car before Mira grabbed his hand and helped him from the truck. She shook her head and began tying her curls back into an overly messy bun.

"Nope," she declared solidly, reaching into the open window for her satchel. The Nike bag safety tucked under the front seat would be fine, so she grabbed Merrick's hand and looked down the street. Breakfast wouldn't kill them, and they headed towards the diner.

They passed a robin's egg blue Chevrolet, a bit rusted but not badly. It was loaded with computer parts; motherboards, RAM-cards, memory disks, drives, towers, monitors, everything one could ever imagine. She wrinkled her brow and stopped, checking the truck for any type of decal. This person-whoever they were-was a computer nut, and could probably get her camera fixed before sundown. Checking it over, she rounded to the back, Merrick waiting patiently on the sidewalk, when she caught the license plate and blinked twice.

Yeager.

Parked out front the old Uptown Theatre, she decided that would be the best place to start. Grabbing Merrick's hand, she hustled them into the theatre where a heavy-set old man in a plaid button down and grimy jeans met them. His Farm-All hat, once perhaps a shining white and red, was decrepit and almost as filthy as he was. Mira stopped short when she saw him.

"Howdy, little missy. What're you and junior doin' 'round here this time of day? I got a sale goin' on in here," he jerked a thumb behind him, "You wanna look around?"

"Well," she began, "I was actually looking for the owner of the Chevrolet outside, the one with all the computer parts? Is that you?"

He laughed a dry, wheezing laugh, "Ahaha, no, that ain't missy. But if I was I'd sure want you lookin' for me too," he winked at her. A repulsive shiver went down her spine as he turned around. "But the owner's here, digging around for whatever. You're welcome inside, you and the boy. C'mon, missy, don't be shy!" he hurried down the aisle of dusty, velvet seating as his voice echoed off the dilapidating walls of the building.

Mira had given up her journalism days after meeting Will and joining NEST, but she'd kept up with the paper in the city often. Uptown Theatre had closed years ago, after being opened since 1928. Arson, the papers printed. It had once been beautiful, Mira remembering her first time ever having set foot in here with her girlfriends to see Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" films.

"Stay close," Mira tightened her grip on Merrick's hand, the boy lost in the artwork littering the building. They made their way around, gazing at faded movie posters and advertisements, minding their footing around fallen sheetrock and drywall. Mira wondered if calling out was a good idea, afraid the building would collapse around them. She decided that the old man talked loud enough and the place was still standing, so it wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Hello!" she exclaimed, "I'm looking for the owner of the Chevy truck outside," she called, her voice echoing off the walls of the building as if in a valley, "the one with all the computer parts!" No answer for a moment, then, "Hello?"

"Yeah, hi, wait, that's me!" A voice from the upper seating selection called out. Suddenly from the shadows burst a man, panting and batting away what she presumed to be cobwebs. He had a baseball cap on, sunglasses resting on the bill of the hat and a grey t-shirt with a cowhide leather jacket. Mira was slightly taken aback by his strikingly handsome features, and had to collect herself. "You lookin' for the owner, Miss?"

"I am," she called, "Are those your computers?"

He nodded and hurried towards the stairs, "They are, yeah!" Soon he was on the main level, jogging towards them, a flashlight and old lens in his hand. He stuck the flashlight in his back pocket and stuck out his hand. "Cade Yeager, ma'am, owner and operator of Yeager Robotics."

"Hence the computer parts," she put two-and-two together.

He nodded. "Yeah. Who're you?"

"Mira," she stuck out her hand, "Mira Lennox. My son, Merrick."

He looked down to the boy and got a goofy grin on his face. His eyes lit up at sight of the boy and then he looked up at Mira. "Well then, Mira Lennox, what can I do for you?"

"I have a camera," she sighed, "that's extremely important. It's broken-when and why I don't know-and I need it fixed."

He shrugged. "Sure, okay."

"By tonight."

Cade nodded and shrugged again, scratching the back of his neck. "Sure thing."

"How much do you want to do it?" She let go of Merrick's hand and he took off to play. They both watched him go, and only satisfied that he was safe, resumed their conversation. "I mean, what' your rate and everything?"

He hummed and hoed for a moment before setting the lens down on a seat and slapping his hands together, "Well, assuming I have the parts and everything you need, I'd say roughly around 75 to 80 bucks. Probably less, since cameras are easy. That too much, or...?"

She smiled, "No, that's fine," he looked over her shoulder and stopped. He furrowed his brow and pointed, hustling by her and jogging towards the stage. Mira spun around to see what he was doing, and stopped. Taken aback, she stared at center stage, puzzled.

Merrick had somehow opened the door of a rusted down, exhausted looking, out dated semi. His weakness for the vehicles, of course, had aroused his curiosity. Cade intervened when he tried to monkey his way into it, grabbing him by the waist when there was a clatter of metal on the tile of the stage. Cade took a step back, looking down, Merrick still in his arms, looking down as well. Mira ran over to them and Cade set Merrick down.

"What are you doing, Merrick?" She asked, "you shouldn't be-"

"-what the heck happened to you?" Cade asked quietly.

Mira grabbed Merrick's hand and checked her watch. It was nearly eleven thirty, almost time for Merrick's playdate. She grabbed his hand and his toy truck and began hurrying out towards the door. "Hey, um..."

"Cade," he interjected, distracted.

"...Cade," she finished, "I'll leave that camera in the front seat of the truck, alright? I'll put my number in the case. Call me when it's done-tonight, right?"

"Yeah, sure, tonight!" he called, buried in the contents of the front seat of that pathetic looking cab-over semi. Hustling Merrick out the door, she did as she promised and set the camera on the front seat of the Chevy. Loading Merrick into her Silverado, she glanced back at the Theatre.

Strange place to have a truck.


	3. Two

**Chapter Two**

**...**

It couldn't have been.

Perhaps his wounds kept him from thinking clearly, imagining things as memories flooded his mind. He'd been hit in the head extremely hard, he could've gone into some sort of stasis; unable to function properly; hearing voices and seeing images in the dark. But, the fact he saw the same place he'd been staying for months told him he was alive, coherent, and very much awake. He understood the conversation which had previously unfolded perfectly, heard the names, felt the prick of the past strike him dangerously close to affectionate remembrance.

Then he saw her, full one. A bit heavier than he remembered. Her eyes had also lost their sparkling sense of life, but retained their fierce, soul piercing capabilities. She'd looked at him and sent him-figuratively speaking-to his knees. Every nerve in his entire body shook, and his spark ignited in a pulse of glory. He also called out to her, but was silenced as he listened to his brass clatter to the floor in front of the small child.

All this time of trying to forget her, keep them _away from her, _and she'd found him. He knew as soon as he laid eyes on her she was still without Will; without the love of a strong arm beside her, helping her along the way. Her eyes were devoid of passion and she lacked the bubbly joy she had once had. Her powerful presence was now dark and cold, not like the peace and warmth she had once emanated. The young boy was no different, now a child and not a toddling infant.

She was exactly as he felt.

Then the man introduced as Cade Yeager had his fun exploring inside the cab of the top-over form. He muttered, either to himself or the truck depending on the statement, and began pulling apart fuse boxes. Pit, did it hurt, having this human digging in places Cybertronians would prefer otherwise. But, he realized the human cared and was careful, treating him with respect as he poked and prodded.

Then, he talked with the theatre owner, bargaining on a price over this useless heap of slag. he listened to them, first start at three hundred American dollars, until Cade Yeager finally low-balled at one fifty. The man agreed to the sale and handed over the truck, unable to provide any proof of title or ownership for the "grand state of Texas". Then later in the evening another semi came and hauled him out of the theatre through the hole he had ravaged into the building.

She, however, did not return.

...

Conner's mother had been appreciative of Merrick keeping her son busy as she had tended to a flower bed. Mira had kissed him on top the head, wished him a fun play date, and reminded him to brush his teeth and say his evening prayers before she was drug into the house by Conner's mother for a glass of sweet tea and a piece of watermelon.

Two hours later, Mira roared out of the driveway and back into town. She gased her truck and made her way to the outskirts of town, towards the abandoned rodeo arena. Parking her truck beneath a set of bleachers, she set up her weapons and changed her clothes. Only after she laced her left boot did a snazzy Corvette pull into the arena, followed by a cloud of dust and three other GMC SUV's. She straightened, grabbed her Baretta and chambered a round, making it more than evident to the strangers as they exited their car.

Two of the men carried gym bags, the other a rifle case. The man in front, a short little thing, pudgy from days of wealth and expensive food, led the pack and met her halfway between their points. He extended a hand to her, but she refused, only gestured for the men to set the bag and case down. They agreed only when their boss nodded.

Mira pointed the gun at the man's head, for collateral. She was far outnumbered and would not risk being fired at, and she trained it on him as she knelt and unzipped the bags. Both contained Baretta, AK47, and Barrett 50 ammo, along with grenades, smoke grenades, knives, first aide equiptment, surveillance cameras, and stun guns. The rifle case was the Barret 50; a special, military grade sniper designed especially for her. Nodding to herself, she rose and gestured towards her truck.

"Tell them to load them up, then you get your payment." She snarled.

Looking slightly over his shoulder, he nodded almost unnoticeably. "Do as she says."

She payed them what she had promised; a syringe filled with the cure-Ratchet's cure-for diabetes. There was only enough for one injection, which would surely make its way around the man's mob group. With the payment in hand, the cars evacuated, leaving Mira to her prizes and her thoughts.

It was a six hour drive to the coast, if she was going, now was the time. Loading the stuff into the bed, she drove out of the bleachers and headed towards the open road. She set the cruise at 70, cranked the radio, and drove. Afternoon drifted into evening with the color changes in the sky; an orangey-pink to a solid mango color, then evening leveled into total darkness. Heaven looked down on her through pinpricks of stars, familiar constellations forming above her. The hours ticked by as she remembered her mentor; her friend, who had promised her a trip through the stars and had delivered.

_"When you think of yourself, think of the stars," _Optimus had whispered in a hushed reverence filled with affection and honor, _"and all the beauty they possess. Each are unique, no matter what size, shape, order, or purpose. Their uniqueness makes them beautiful...just as you are, Miriam." _She had penned those words in her journal, where she wrote every tidbit of wisdom she learned. Her heart twisted at the realization it had been three long years since she'd seen or heard her best friend.

"You have no idea how I miss you," she whispered, rolling her thumb across the imprinted metal around her neck. She then looked out to the sky and saw a beautifully full moon, thinking of Will and all the fullness of life he'd given her, "and I miss you too, handsome."

...

It was midnight after Mira parked her truck four miles from the location of her rendezvous, a shabby dock abandoned long ago for a new location and snappier ports. The sniper, now draped over her shoulders and weighing heavy in her hands was electrifying new and weighty, causing her a windiness she forgot she had. Having a child had changed her body; she wasn't as fit as she had hoped.

It didn't matter, adrenaline and excitement pumped through her now. Something else brewed within her heart; hope, the shattering breakage of loneliness at the realization she would be seeing a comrade and a friend. It made her crazy with anxiety and sent gooseflesh up her arms.

They'd arranged this meeting, like all the others, six weeks after their original meeting. They waited six weeks for these rendezvous strictly out of precaution; if caution was to the wind she'd visit him every night. The six weeks gave them time to regroup and refocus, covering their tracks in case there were witnesses. He'd drive around the states awhile and meet her in their chosen location; always Texas, somewhere in Texas.

Checking her shoulder, she stopped to rest behind a repair building, now in need of the services it once provided to damaged ships off the water. She swirled some water around her mouth and dabbed at the sweat accumulating on her brow. Setting a location marker, she got up and moved her location a few more yards before stopping and slinging the 50 around to her back. Taking the metal around her neck, she reached for her knife and sliced her thumb, pressing the scarlet thread of liquid onto the lifeless stone shielded by metal.

Instantly, it recognized her and flashed to life. She confirmed the voice recognition-in Cybertronian-and it welcomed her. Replacing the chain around her neck, she reached into the pocket of her cargoes and situated an ear comm in her ear, listening as the emblem connected to the device. Instantly a connection was made and she tested the frequency.

"Halo, whiskey marker XYZ; this is Gravestone, copy?" The frequency emitted by the emblem was strictly Cybertronian, impossible for the government to decode. She waited a few moments before gazing over the docks. An abandoned river-boat, stationary and eerily resting on the water, caught her attention. She repeated. "Halo, whiskey marker XYZ; this is Gravestone..."

_**"Gravestone, this is Deadman, copy."**_

The familiarity flooded her like a rainstorm. Her stomach floated with relief and she sighed, letting off a chuckle and swinging the 50 back around into her hands. She moved quickly towards the water, expecting him to come up to the landing at any second. "Copy, Deadman, Gravestone reporting..."

_**"At your 8, Gravestone. Up...and over." **_She watched the riverboat, and found one of the torn drapes pulled up into the left corner. She took out a light and flashed it there, the beam catching a silver pendent in the shadows before it quickly vanished back into darkness. Replacing the light, she lifted the 50 and made her way into the water towards the back paddles, where she would board.

Once aboard, she made her way to fifth patio and slung the 50 back over her shoulder yet again. Pulling the glimmering emblem from beneath her shirt, she let it illuminate the darkness and draw the attention to herself. A Cybertronian greeting quietly floated on the breezing wind, and she chuckled.

"_Obe de tenatzi_," she announced, her Cybertronian worse than she remembered, "You can come out now, Ratchet. I'm alone."

Instantly, he appeared from nowhere, his glowing optics piercing the darkness like some sort of dweller. His weight made the riverboat sway on the water, and he approached her slowly. Relief emanated from him as he sighed, kneeling to a knee and staring at her in the face.

"You're late. I was worried," he said sternly, "I was about to leave when you commed."

She laughed, "Always the worry-wart, aren't you?" she approached him and touched his faceplates, "I missed you, Ratchet. Our talks are few and far between."

"Too few, and too far between, I'm afraid. Any news on Optimus?"

Mira let her hand drop from his faceplates and she looked away, "No." Her voice drifted, until she brought it back. "He escaped Mexico, alive."

"Thank Primus," he sighed gently.

She seated herself on an overturned crate and loosened her curls. There was a long pause between them, and she fingered the emblem in her hands, deciding to be blunt with her next statement. "Mirage and the Wreckers are dead, Ratchet."

His hulking form of neon yellow and orange stared at her a minute in shock, before fury and sorrow took hold of his optics. As the CMO, Mira couldn't understood the suffering he must've possessed inside of him, being unable to aide his comrades and take their pain away, if not lessen it. Having been standing bent at the shoulders due to height, he slumped more under the weightiness of her news.

"Did they go quickly?" he whispered.

She looked down. They hadn't. "They left honorably," she breathed, "like true Autobots."

Sorrow marred his next statement, "What...what has happened, Miriam?" he asked squarely, "what has happened to your people, who once would die beside us in battle, now fighting against us? What have we done but fight for you, to make your people hate us so?"

Mira got up, walking towards him slowly. Questioning was hardly Ratchet's forte, but she knew his grief; she shared it. Placing a gentle hand on top his own, she stroked what would be his knuckles with her fingertips. "I..." she began, "I'm not sure, Ratchet."

"It has to stop."

She looked away, "I know..."

Then, there was a licking of tires on gravel.


	4. Three

_Readers:_

_It is apparent that Mira and Merrick's story is intriguing you all, and that it's been well received on the site. So well received, in fact, one of my my reviewers-the wonderful grapejuice101-has offered to make a poster featuring the Autobots, the enemies, and Mira along with her son, Merrick. The link is: cgi/set?id=127951791. Shout out for the poster! And on that note, PM me is anyone would like to do further artwork for the story. _

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**...**

It was unmistakable, the sound of rubber eating gravel and kicking up stones. It, mixed with the thumping of helicopter blades shattered Mira's resolve-and her heart. Swinging around the 50, she brought up the scope and peeked the barrel through the broken windows to see the barrage of black SUV's and choppers setting up a perimeter. The boat creaked beneath her as Ratchet backed away from the window, and she looked at him over her shoulder, breathing picking up.

He glared at her, "I thought you said no one was following you," he hissed somewhat darkly. Mira didn't know if it was the fact they'd been found or the accusation causing her stomach to drop to her ankles, taking her heart from her chest with it. Ratchet might as well have torn it out himself and shot it with the stare he was giving her.

"No one was!" she whispered desperately to him, "you know I'd never-"

He put up a hand, "It's not important now!" he hissed, "get out of here, before they find us. Optimus would kill me if-"

"-Optimus isn't _here._" she said squarely.

With that, she abruptly turned on her boot heel and trucked herself down to the main floor. Lifting the fifty, she silently stepped into the water and looked up the staircase, where Ratchet watched her carefully. He nodded to him and saluted to him in Cybertronian; the right arm crossing the chest to the heart. He nodded once to her, did the same, and commed her. _**"Take care of yourself, Miriam. I couldn't live with myself-"**_

"It's okay, Ratchet. I'll be fine. Watch your six," she whispered, water up to her chest now. Wading towards the east of the docks, she graciously dipped beneath a soggy planked dock until her feet hit the shoreline beneath it. Stopping to catch her breath, she looked over her shoulder and brought the scope back up. Ratchet was gone, and flashing lights hit the water and bounced images onto the empty, now lifeless riverboat.

Her ears were teaming with pumping blood and adrenaline, which caused her heart to throb hopelessly. Mira realized only after her lungs began screaming that she was holding her breath. Releasing it, she watched and listened as the sounds of heavy-laiden and armed Cemetery Wind soldiers boarded the vessel, their flashlights bobbing as they climbed the stairs. The emblem, still glowing, she tucked beneath her shirt and lowered the 50.

Taking off from the beach, she stayed in the water to cover her tracks and ran a good 15 yards before rounding back to her previous location. Shimmying under an old, probably old barbed-wire fence, she rolled onto her stomach and situated the sniper a good 45 yards from the beach. She watched through the scope the scene unfold.

There was a man with a receding hairline, silver hair, and a tough looking presence leading the operation; using hand signals and silent motions she was familiar with. He ordered another squad around the back of the riverboat, and she tapped her ear to bring the comm alive. "They've got you flanked and surrounded, Ratchet."

No reply.

The choppers bobbed in the air, their searchlights scanning. Reaching to her left hip, she felt around for the familiar camera she usually carried. Upon its nonexistant presence she cursed herself for forgetting-it was being repaired by the Cade Yeager she'd employed for the job. Mumbling to herself, she gave her attention back to the scene unfolding before her.

She couldn't hear their commands and voices, only their guns popping off shots. She imagined their boot falls and the shifting of equipment, the familiar click as round were chambered. Her own heart was hammering so loudly she figured they could hear it down there. She watched the man in charge again, then gave her full attention to the roof of the riverboat, where the two smokestacks sat still with rusting age and uselessness. There was a team circling them and tapping on the steel; she heard the echo.

Then, all at once, there was a scream of rockets and an explosion of steel, orders, and fire. A loud cry-a male one-hit the air with such force it knocked the wind out of Mira's lungs. Immediately she recognized the cry as Ratchet, and watched his hulking form sail through the air before crashing into the beach, a mess of transformation. Instantly his vehicle mode was gone and kicking up sand in the team's faces as they continually fired high-power shots and grenades at him.

Mira picked herself up and moved across the yard, dodging holes and scattered pieces of boats, building, and machinery. Sweat dripped down her back and soaked her shirt, her boots slipping on loose stones. She fell forward, catching herself with her lower arm, unwilling to let the 50 go from her grasp. Shoving herself up, she ran down the embankment towards the main-road.

The wail of sirens and screech of helicopter blades halted her. Stopping short, she dived left and took cover behind a storage shop, watching as dust from the road kicked up around her. The sky was live with the choppers, all silently crying if their pursuit of her friend. Ratchet was a good 500 feet ahead of them, and only when the last car to pursue him left did she head towards in the general direction of the truck.

Suddenly, she decided, she couldn't help him as Ratchet swerved left, winding his way through the shipyard, hoping-she assumed-to loose them among the ships and buildings scattered there. CW was still on his six when they fired a rocket from the chopper, it exploding into Ratchet's flank. It sent the Autobot into a transformation, his bi-pedal mode swinging around after pushing himself up from the ground.

Doubling back, Mira approached the fight out of sight. Tears were pooling in her eyes now and panic had all but seized her. Severe shaking had plagued her nerves now and fear played a record of horror in her head. Her judgment faltered, she didn't realize a steep embankment and slipped down it, her body sliding against stone, shrubbery, sand and rocks. Pain shot up her back as cuts formed, her black longsleeved v-neck torn to bits.

The cars had circled Ratchet now, the choppers staying their searchlights on him. The man with the silver hair was standing before Ratchet, talking. Ratchet had left his link open, and she could hear every word. It enraged her and caused her to tremble even more. Burying her hands in the sand, the 50 over her shoulders now, she clawed her way back up the embankment and parked herself between two shrubs, a clear view of the standoff-circle around Ratchet now visible. She swallowed hard and listened.

"...I lost a sister in Chicago, you'll get no sympathy from me."

Ratchet was about to protest when the guns came up. "I am Autobot. An _all. _What has happened to you humans?" He was silenced when the man's hand went down and a barrage of bullets cascaded into Ratchet's body. Surprised, Mira fell onto her backside, only to scramble back to her knees to behold. A scream erupted from her as Ratchet tried to flee, desperation in every movement, but she slapped a hand over her mouth, the other clawing into her skin to keep it cemented there. Tears had began to sprinkle her marred, dirty face.

Then, the impossible happened. Return fire-coming from Ratchet's own blaster, bombarded the ground and sent human bodies soaring through the air and into a wooden building, which splintered to bits under their weight. Ratchet was crying out in desperation: "What has happened to you!?" over and over, doing his best to survive the continuous bombardment.

Scarred, Mira brought the 50 around and set up for a laying position. Slamming a magazine into the chamber, she began to focus her aim on the man with silver hair when a huge explosion sent her scrambling to see what happened. Ratchet's body rolled in a somersault as a huge piece of him went in the other direction. Only when he righted and began to hop furiously did she realize it was his leg that had sailed in the other direction. A scream ruptured from her, and she stuffed a fist into her mouth. Pulling herself down and back towards the wreckage, she pinched her eyes shut and began to sob.

Rampaging fury bombarded her as she turned around, to find Ratchet on the ground, continuing to fire at the humans. Tears rolled freely now, Mira unable to stop sobbing. Her body burned violently and trembled atrociously, ripping apart her nerves. Ratchet stopped firing when he became weak, his voice beginning to fade into an exhaustive breath as the humans closed in around him.

Then, the humans parted. A charcoal black, low-seated muscle car slowly made its way into a circle. It was plastered with wealth and vehemently smelling of trouble. It circled around Ratchet not once but twice, the entire air quiet around them. A seizing filling gripped Mira in the heart, a feeling that this was not in the least bit good. She swallowed thickly, her tongue almost catching in the back of her parched, burning throat. She watched as the car parked, clicked off its lights, and sat still for a brief moment.

Then, suddenly, it violent transformed into a flipping and twisting mess of metal. It began to take form, into a slender but powerful frame of a being she did not know. First the legs formed and then the shoulders, the chest splitting apart to lower the spark-chamber into place. The face-plating finished situating and before Ratchet stood a broodingly evil figure with a presence as wicked as night itself. His eyes, a deep and depressive green, bored into Ratchet with disgust. Mira found no trace of allegiance on him-Autobot or Decepticon. He was a Neutral.

"I will ask once," he spoke. His voice was rich, like a dark, venomous honey; baritone and obviously authentic. It sank into her brain like fangs, and sent chills down her spine. Mira's stomach flopped over and bile began to attack her throat with burning vengeance. The mech's hand began to twist and turn, settling into a huge ion cannon with a horrifying hook on the end. He took slow, practiced steps towards Ratchet; much like a predator about to spring upon prey. Mira began to tremble so violently it crossed her mind briefly that she might've been seizing.

"Then ask!" Ratchet shot. This made the Neutral growl and grimace at him, lifting the edge of his lip plates into a snarl. He brought the ion cannon around and leveled it at Ratchet's face. This brought a squeak into Mira's throat as her eyes widened.

"Where is Optimus Prime and the femme," came the slow question. It was so low and slow, it was almost a sensual threat. Mira's fingered dug so deeply into the sand the grains felt like needles beneath her fingernails. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. There was silence, so cold on the air that it threatened to freeze the breath in her lungs.

"Never."

It was so sudden it sent her heart exploding into an even faster pound, if possible.

A look of disgust painted the Neutral's face, and he looked down, shaking his head, disgust seizing his eyes. Shifting his body to face Ratchet sideways, he began to charge the weapon and spoke low, hushed again in a nasty, thoroughly evil tone.

"Then never has come." He fired the blast, it crashing into Ratchet's chest.

It was like slow motion. Mira screamed bloody murder, her right leg extending behind her into the sand to push herself up. She knocked over her 50, sailing over the bushes and down the embankment. Ratchet's body lurched as the blast ended inside his chest, his optics fading into nothingness as the Neural approached his body. The only sound was Mira's sobbing, which she assumed they could not hear under the thumping of chopper blades.

Placing a foot on Ratchet's abdomen, the Neutral lowered the hood into his chest and thrust it into his armor. It dived low, before he seeringly ripped it from his chest, brutally. Ratchet's body slightly lifted with the motion, then fell back to Earth roughly as the mech lifted a dark, sphere of cables and metal from his chest. Mira's stomach rose fully and she vomited into the sandy embankment as she realized it was Ratchet's very spark-his life force. The bot's hand transformed back into the fingers as before, the spark disappearing into his arm. He didn't so much as look as Ratchet as he walked away from the scene, transforming as he went. He skidded from the shipyard and into darkness.

Ratchet's comm was nothing but static in her ear, and she laid incapacitated as they began tethering his body to the choppers. She watched, numb, as his body was lifted and hauled away, the rest of the team making their way away from the location. Soon, their lights and noise were gone, leaving her with nothing but the light of the stars overhead, and the lapping of water against the docks to comfort her. Numb tears rolled down her face and into the sand around her.

Pushing herself up, she walked back up the embankment and grabbed the fifty, bracing the grip against her wrist and resting the heaviest part of the gun on her shoulder. She walked back to the truck as a soldier would as if returning from a battle. Tossing the gun into the backseat, she climbed into the driver's side, sat motionless for a moment, and made sure her windows were down all the way. Then, looking to the sky, she closed her eyes and let out the deepest, gut-bearing scream she'd ever screamed in her entire life.

It echoed across the waters, and hopefully into the stars.

...

Cade Yeager tossed his over shirt on the workbench littered with specks and parts, tools, metals, blow-torches, saudering kits, socket sets, ratchet attachments, computer print offs, and schematics. It added only to the chaos that morning, a long morning that had only increased one hundred and fifty percent as Lucas finally decided to show up to perhaps do something productive with his body today.

He'd spent all night working on the flipping camera-and boy, did he get it done. It was a bigger task than he had anticipated, but he'd finished it. The entire shutter needed replaced, having been friend by some type of electrical jarring system, then cracking straight across. Seating himself at his computer, he scratched his head furiously when he caught sight of something in the screen of his computer. The barn door opened, and in stepped Tessa, his daughter.

"Dad?" she asked, "Whose phone number is this?" she stomped into the barn, an attitude already forming in her teenage voice. She tossed the camera case at him, where a phone number was clipped to the strap. She crossed her arms at him and bored a glare into his face.

"A client, as if I need to explain myself to you, missy," he circled around in his chair and reached for the camera across his heaping pile of projects. Be wound the strap around the lens and stuck the camera into the case, zipping it closed for emphasis. "The owner of the camera needs called that it's fixed. She'll be coming to get it ASAP I'd guess, since she wanted it last night."

Tessa groaned. "She? A she left you a phone number?"

He gave her a confused look. "How else was I supposed to get a hold of her? Carrier pigeon?" he asked rhetorically. Tessa had stopped, staring frozen at the object-the elephant in the room, you could say-sitting dilapidated in the middle of his barn-lab.

"What is that?" she pointed at it, then looked at him, glaringly again. "A truck? You seriously bought _another _truck?" She walked towards it and stopped directly in front of it, crossing her arms. "Look at the holes! The rust! Dad!" she exclaimed, walking back over to him, one hand gesturing furiously at the truck, "does it even run?"

"No," he interjected, "but the engine's worth at least three hundred bucks if I scrap it and sell it out for parts," he pushed her towards the entrance of the barn, "don't you have homework or something?"

She stopped and turned on her heel. "Dad!" she shouted at him, "you can't keep spending money like this, on, on...junk!"

"Don't use the 'J' word in here, Tessa Marie!"

She rolled her eyes and moaned, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I can't do this anymore," she sighed, "once I graduate, I'm so gone!" Before he could retaliate, she stormed out of the barn as mad as she'd come into it, slamming the squeaking door so hard it bounced off the frame and open again. Cade waved her off.

Grabbing the phone from the desk, he punched in the number and got a voicemail to a cell phone. Leaving a message informing Miss-Lennox, was it?-that her camera was done, he tossed the phone back onto the desk. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked around the barn at all the half completed projects that were supposed to be worth something once he finished or scrapped them entirely.

Tessa was just as frustrated-and concerned-as he was. All her life he'd been promising her a bigger, better picture than what he could develop. Day after day those pictures slowly burned into nothing more than hopeless ashes and failures, as each of his inventions flitted off to discontinued states and lost causes, or "dead-ends". Yeager Robotics hadn't completed one invention, having survived solely off repairing other peoples machinery since its birth.

No wonder Tessa was done.

Frustrated, Cade walked over to a support beam and rammed the steel-toe of his work boots into its beam. It vibrated slightly at the impact, shaking off the old dust of grinding matter and age, only to settle back into the old, falling apart state it always was in. Gripping the beam with calloused fingertips, Cade rested his forehead against the wood, trying somehow to picture a day that wasn't falling apart of failing.

He saw nothing.

Then, opening his eyes, he saw something he hadn't tackled. It was old and falling apart, like everything else. But, he knew beneath that deoxidizing metal there was money in that engine, a promise of hope and perhaps a month of paid bills. Pushing himself off the beam with one arm, he approached the truck and placed a palm against the metal, grainy from dust and remnants of a theatre older than it was. He hung his head and sighed, trying not to imagine the amount of work, bloody knuckles, and trials that inevitably laid under that hood-all for about three hundred bucks of profit.

"Well, tough guy," he sighed to the truck, exhausted from just thinking about getting underneath it to begin loosening bolts and screws, "time to see what you're really made of."

...

Mira arrived back in town around seven in the morning, exhausted and running on whatever grief hadn't eaten within her. She managed to get herself changed before appearing into the diner for a cup of coffee and a lemon, powdered sugar donut. Only after seating herself within the Silverado did she remember how hard and long that trek was last night, and resolved to toss the donut out the window and forego the calories for the day.

She managed the drive to Conner's house, drying up her face and sniffling up her tears. She exited the truck, knocked on the front door, and was welcomed inside by Conner's mother. She called up the stairs for Merrick, who barreled down with Conner in a lively banter. Both of them shot outside, Merrick after Conner with a toy gun shouting military orders. They vanished into the corn-field behind the house.

"Miriam?" Conner's mother touched her wrist, jerking her back into the present. Startled, Mira looked at the woman and reached for Merrick's backpack, which was hung on a hook by the door.

"Yeah?" she asked quietly. Conner's mom gave her a curious look, and then dared the next step. Mira hated the thought of having to explain her puffy eyes and lackadaisical expression, but was pleasantly surprised when she asked the next question.

"Merrick told me you met Cade Yeager yesturday. That right?"

Mira nodded slowly, her eyes dropping in a slow blink. She pushed up her glasses on her nose and answered carefully. "Yes, that's right. He's fixing my camera."

Conner's mouth slapped a damp dishtowel over her shoulder and crossed her arms, leaning against the banister rails leading upstairs. "Cade's a good man. Smart."

"Mhm," Mira answered, half interested. She knew where this conversation was going, and didn't want to follow. Turning on her heel, she reached for the screen door and stated, "Martha, I really need to-"

"-Cade lost his wife when his daughter Tessa was born. He hasn't had a woman's touch in awhile," she stopped the screen door from opening with a thick hand, "and he sure could use one."

Mira furrowed her brow. "And? What does it matter?"

"All I'm saying is I know Cade, and he's a friend of Robert's," she referred to her husband, "and we worry about him. Now, if I was a single woman, I'd do it myself, but I'm not. So I might as well ask you."

Mira jerked her hand away from Martha and frowned, "I don't know what you're asking, Martha, but I don't appreciate-"

"-would you cook up something and take it to Cade's when you head over that way?" her request was quiet, and sent Mira into a silent mode. She watched Martha as she looked away, crossing her arms back over her chest, "I worry about him, that scrawny little thing he has for a daughter feeding him. I can imagine how much he'd probably kill for something not microwaved," she looked at Mira again, with a soft expression. "If you won't cook it, I will. It's just, the car's broke and Rob has the truck in Dallas."

Mira, feeling guilty and retarded for snapping at Martha, sighed. "I'm sorry, Martha..."

Martha smiled softly, "I can understand how you'd take it the wrong way, Miriam," she touched her shoulder gently and rubbed it comfortingly, "I could never imagine you doing something so...scanty."

Mira smiled at her and nodded. "Good to know. I'll cook something up for them and take it over."

"Good. Now get going," she shooed her out the door, "daylight's wasting and Conner and I have some cow's to milk. Merrick, Conner! Get over here!"

Both boys shot out of the cornfield. Conner dashed up the steps to the porch as Mira descended the last one. Merrick approached with a goofy smile, head to toe covered in dirt and sugar from the corn fields. Conner was no better and Mira handed him his backpack. Slinging it over one shoulder, he waved up at Conner before offering a quick bye and dashing for the truck. He opened the door and hopped inside.

"Merrick!" Mira chided, "What do you say?"

He quickly interjected a quick thanks before the door thumped back into place. Mira chuckled and waved to Martha and Conner before taking her place in the truck. The phone in the passenger's seat beeped a message of a voicemail, and she grabbed it. Before checking the message, she started the truck and shifted into drive and began making her way down the driveway. Pressing the phone to her ear, she listened.

"_Hey, it's Cade Yeager, from the theatre. Got your camera fixed. Drop by whenever and we'll talk a price out." _He left direction at the end of the message and Mira pointed the truck in the direction of home.

"I wonder if Cade likes fried chicken, huh, Merrick?" She looked into the rearview to find Merrick rolling his hands across the bottom of his semi wheels. A panging hurt stabbed at her heart as she thought of a familiar semi, and he looked up at her in the mirror, shrugging. She saw a trace of Will in his eyes as she added the next phrase "...and sweet potato fries?"

His eyes lit up, as did his face when he smiled. "Yeah, yeah! Sweet 'tatoe fries!"

She smiled, having to look away before too much of Will sent her into another crying fit. She did her best to fight back the tears she was still willing to shed for Ratchet, but refused to cry in front of Merrick.

...

"What do you mean you didn't get the location of Prime!" Attinger picked up a marble paperweight and tossed it in Savoy's direction, where it crashed into a potted plant costing at least fifteen hundred dollars, shattering the decor into a thousand pieces. Savoy had watched the weight until it crashed into the pot, then turned his head and gave Attinger a look of mock disbelief.

"Angry much?" he huffed.

"Answer the freaking question!" Attinger screamed again, rampaging for the man. Savoy side-stepped the raging man and put up his hands.

"The CMO was unwilling to give us the answer," he rolled his eyes, "then your _asset _came in and ripped the guy's heart out before we could _press him!" _His decibel rose a few inches and Attinger's nerves cooled a bit at the mention of the Neutral. He smoothed his suit and loosened his tie slightly, sweat beaming in the fluorescent light on his balding head.

"Well, then," he sighed, "I'll have a word with him."

Savoy rolled his eyes, "Obviously he isn't the talkative type," he seated himself in a chair and propped his feet up on Attinger's desk again. "What makes you think he'll listen to you?"

"He'll listen," Attinger smirked at him, "some of us let our words do the talking and not our bullets."

Savoy huffed again, rolling his eyes in frustration.

Attinger started towards the door, "I'll have a word with KSI on the remains of the CMO's chassi."

Savoy lowered his sunglasses over his eyes before replying, "There's one more thing,"

"What."

He laced his hands together and placed them behind his head, using his heels to raise the front feet of the chair off the ground, "Someone was there last night," he raised his brows, then lowered his glasses slightly on his nose to look up at Attinger over the rims, "someone not Cemetery Wind."

"Really? Who? Big Foot?" Attinger asked, obviously in disbelief. He checked himself in the mirror by his door before Savoy replied.

"No. It was a girl."


	5. Four

**Chapter Four**

**...**

As Merrick splashed around an overly bubbly bath, Mira found her opportunity to replace her gear from the night before. She emptied the pockets of her cargoes and tossed them into the laundry, then whipped the torn shirt into the trash. Stuffing most of the gear into the Nike gym bag, she shoved them up onto the top shelf of her closet, hiding the rifle case in the attic of the house. The rifle the rested in the corner of her closet, behind her wedding dress.

She started a pie before anything else. After sticking it into the oven, she began frying chicken after that. Covered in flour, cooking grease, and various other ingredients, she carefully breaded each piece and set them in the pan. The hot grease cackled and spit to life above an open flame, and she used a wooden fork to turn each piece. Sprinkling some cajun over the flour, she added some butter to the grease and went to work on the fries.

Soon Merrick was out of the tub and dressed in his usual play clothes. He had a bin of G.I. Joe toys, as well as a bin of plastic dinosaurs and was setting up for what she assumed a battle. Mira tromped out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, removing a pair of dark blue jeans and a navy blue polo shirt. Taking them out of the bedroom, she held them up and cleared her throat.

He had a pained expression. "But, Ma!" He protested in a whine, "I don't wanna wear those! I want to wear these!" He pulled at the hem of the shirt he was currently wearing. Mira shook her head no and handed them to him.

"No, Merrick. Go change, right now," she gestured towards the bedroom, "when I put the chicken in the oven to bake." With grumbling protest the boy took the clothes into the bedroom and changed. He emerged later, Mira walking over to inspect him. Kneeling before the boy, she froze when she looked into his eyes.

They were an incredibly dark brown, with flecks of gold sparkling as the sun hit them. They were dangerously like Will's eyes, gently and soft and...open. She could see the boys very soul through them, a soul of great youth, freedom, and grief. A twinge of pain shot across the nerves of her body, but was soon replaced with grief as tears welled in her own eyes. She sniffled, exhaled a shaky breath, and cupped the boys soft cheek in her hand. Tipping her head to the side, she bit down on her lower lip and stroked his jaw with her thumb.

"You remind me so much of Daddy, sweetheart," she whispered, "I love you so much, you know that, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, Mama."

Leaning towards him, she planted a kiss on his forehead and stood. He went back to playing toys, and Mira hurried herself into the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and stiffled a loud sob. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she slid down the door until she hit the floor, a bawling, crying heap.

The wedding ring on her left finger weighed heavier it seemed than it had that morning. Mira cried unbelievably hard a few moments, and upon realization that not matter how hard she cried it couldn't bring Will back, she stopped. She stared solemnly at the wall, where pictures of her and Will and a newborn Merrick littered the far corner, and progressed through time as Merrick grew. She went to the picture on the nightstand, and got up, moving towards it. Taking it in her hands, she gazed into his face and whispered.

"You'd want me to be happy, right?" her voice as cracked as tears began to flow again.

Her heart might as well have been run over by a thousand running mustangs it hurt so much. A habitual shake had returned to her hands and she hugged the picture to her chest, closing her eyes and letting her tears flow again. A solid, beating pain rested in her chest, and she assumed it must've been her heartbeat.

She and Will had discussed happiness more often than not, especially as Will went out on more field missions with the Autobots than not. They had talked about what they'd want if either one of them had passed before the other, or what they'd wish for Merrick if both of them were killed. The conversations had been less than pleasant, but dutiful nonetheless. They'd both made it painfully clear that Merrick would stay with her parents, seeing as Will's were no longer living, and that upon his 18th birthday, he was to be drafted into NEST under the care and watch of one Optimus Prime-his mother's mentor and friend.

But, what was the most painful, was the words Will had spoken to Mira every conversation. He'd take both her hands in his, kiss her knuckles delightfully, and then stare her square in the eyes and tell her he loved her fiercely. He'd tell her he wanted her happiness despite the circumstances of his own life, and no matter what it cost him he wanted her and Merrick to be cared for. And, if that meant finding love again after his death, then by God she'd better do it. He made her swear she wouldn't grieve him long, and that she would find another to give herself too. Don't deprive men of such a beautiful heart, he'd say. Such a loyal, loving, beautiful soul and heart you possess.

The thought took her breath away again, and she sobbed. Replacing the picture, she looked down at her wedding ring and twirled it on her finger. Then, looking back at the picture, she sighed. "I...I just don't know if I could love something like I love you," she breathed. Touching the necklace, she exhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

_Take this pain away, God. I can't go on living with it. Every heartbeat just...hurts. Take it away, God, and help me through this. _

She smelled something coming from the kitchen, and hurried out to inspect the sight. Not only had Merrick torn the living room apart with toys, but he'd also managed to invade part of her kitchen as well. Stepping over his barrage, she whipped open the oven to inspect her food. It all had a while to bake yet, so she leveled on taking a shower and getting herself ready.

Why she was so worried about what she looked like for Cade Yeager was a mystery unto her. Maybe it was because she didn't want to come off as an old farm hag, but she decided it was because she was doing him a favor. Showering all of the sweat and dirt off from the night's endeavors, she wrapped a robe around herself and tousled her curls into place. Then, taking a clip from the mirror, she pulled them back and sprayed them down with curling mist.

For clothing she chose her favorite sundress-seeing as the day was a brooding 102 degrees. It was a soft yellow, and she always wore it with a brown leather belt around her midsection. For shoes she settled on her best pair of cowboy boots-also a brown leather with white stitching. Smoothing the dress, she forewent the entire makeup process and settled for mascara and lip gloss, then spritzed herself with coconut nectar perfume.

By now the chicken was done, and it was nearly four. She took everything from the oven and went out to the garage, where she found the picnic basket. Pulling the white wicker basket from the top of a workbench, she walked back into the house. Draping a clean dishtowel over the pie, she set that in the first compartment. Then, taking a plastic bowl from the cupboard above the sink, she placed the fried chicken in the other side, followed by the bowl of sweet potato fries and the bag of powdered sugar. She closed up the basket and switched off the oven.

"Merrick!" she declared, "get your stuff around, bud. We're leaving!" Deciding quickly that she'd better call the man to see if he'd even be home, she retrieved her satchel and cellphone. Punching in his number, she pressed it to her ear and rested it between her collarbone and ear as she dug around for her keys. After three rings, she was about to hang up, when the call connected.

_"This is Cade," _the voice declared over the line. She remembered his voice seeming deeper in person, but pushed the thought from her head. His face flashed before her eyes a moment and she shook it away by glancing at the picture in the living room of her and Will and Merrick.

"Hello, Cade. This is Miriam Lennox," she straightened upon locating her keys, "from the theatre."

He laughed. _"Sure. You didn't have to remind me."_

What did that mean? "Oh, well, I...I got your message about the camera. It's done?"

_"Yes, ma'am. It's fixed and ready for ya. Are you wanting to come and get it, then?"_

Nodding to no one in particular, she handed her satchel and keys to Merrick. He bolted out of the house with his backpack and her things. Opening the fridge, she pulled out a case of Miller, then two juice pouches for Merrick, then kicked it closed. Looping her arm through the handle of the basket, she headed towards the porch, "Yeah, is that okay?"

_"Yeah, that's great! Come straight back to the barn, and I'll be-ouch, what the!?" _exclaimed. His suddenly outburst made Mira stop outside the porch, and wrinkle her brow.

"Cade?"

He mumbled under his breath, _"I'm okay," _he affirmed, "_yeah, but, just come straight back to the barn. I'll be out there."_

"Alright. Give me, what, thirty minutes, just so I can find the place?"

_"Yep, sounds good. See ya in a bit." _

She smiled, "Sure thing." She ended the call first and stuffed the phone into her boot along her calf, then hustled down the porch steps towards the truck. Opening the back door to the vehicle, she set the basket, beer, and juices on the seat next to Merrick before slamming it closed. Hopping into the driver's seat, she looked over her shoulder at the boy to find him lively shoving the mouth of a T-Rex onto the arm of one of his toy robots.

...

Mira arrived at the place Cade's direction suggested, and pulled into the driveway. It must've been at least a quarter mile long with potholes the size of Louisiana, but she managed to get to the house fine. She wondered if engaging her four-wheel drive would've made the drive easier.

Merrick was the first out of the car, and Mira handed him his juice. She looped her arm around the handle of the basket again and grabbed the Miller pack, slamming the door closed with her foot. She spotted the barn, almost as old and falling apart as the theatre had been, and sighed. A screen door on the house slapped closed and Mira gave her attention to the figure standing on the porch.

She was a beautiful, tall blond with full lips and dashing eyes. She looked roughly around 17 or 18 years old, which was interesting, because Cade didn't look that old-assuming this was his daughter. She glared at Mira with thrashing eyes until she stepped off the porch and approached them. She did not look at all pleased and stopped before them. She looked at Mira, then the little boy.

"Who're you?" she asked bluntly. Surprised by her bluntness and abruptiveness, Mira answered quickly.

"I'm Mira Lennox. Cade is fixing my camera."

She rolled her eyes, "Dad's in the barn. What's all this?" She gestured to the food. Mira smiled and looked at the basket as well, then towards the girl and shrugged her shoulder.

"Let's just leave it at copayment." She nodded once to the girl, and looked down at Merrick. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's go get my camera." Both of them stepped around the girl and headed towards the barn. There was a sound of shoes on gravel, and Mira realized the girl was following them. She came up beside Mira on the right and wrapped her arms around her abdomen. "What's your name?" Mira started conversation.

"Tessa."

Mira nodded. "Well, Tessa, as I said, I'm Mira. This is my son, Merrick." Tessa looked around Mira to the boy, then gave her attention to Mira's left hand. _Yes, girl. It's a ring. I'm not looking to hitch up with your father. _

Tessa said nothing, and opened the barn door. She stepped inside and stopped. Mira and Merrick stopped beside to her, and Mira's eyes widened. "Dad! What are you doing!?"

Cade, who was quite the gymnast, she assumed, was balanced above the semi from the theatre with a wrench and trouble light in hand. He was in a planking position on one of the beams of the barn, which ran horizontally all the way across the building. Panicked had all but seized Tessa now, and Cade looked their way. He spotted Mira and Merrick and a smile overtook his face, and he swung his body around to a sitting position, back to them. "Oh, hey guys!" Throwing himself off the beam, he landed on the hood of the truck and dust puffed up around his feet.

"Dad!" Tessa squeaked. Cade made is way off the truck and grabbed a nearby grease rag, running his hands through it as he approached them. Mira watched him, strangely reminded of Will, but only for a brief moment. He was built thicker than Will had been, with chocolate brown eyes and ebony hair. He wore his facial hair in unshaved stubble, apparently, and was covered in grease from his hands up to his elbows. A huge grease mark eased its way from his temple to his brow, and he gave them a goofy smile before extending a somewhat "clean" hand to her. She shook it firmly and he furrowed his brow when he looked at her basket and case of Miller.

"What's this?" he pointed to the beer. Mira smiled at him and looked down at Merrick. The boy looked at his mother and then the strange man and blinked. Mira shrugged a shoulder and extended the beer to Cade.

"Dinner. I figured you'd be hungry." She sighed at how pathetic that sounded. Though, Cade and his daughter looked somewhat relieved and stared at the basket of food as if it had sprouted legs. He took the beer and pulled one of the bottles out of the box.

"You guessed right," he chuckled. "Tess, run into the house and get some plates and forks. I'll get you camera and clear off something for us to put that basket." He popped the cap off the bottle and made his way over to an overly full desk. Taking a hand, he pulled it across the table and dumped the contents onto the floor. Merrick and Mira's eyes both widened as Tessa groaned, rolled her eyes, and left the barn.

Mira approached the now clean bench and set the basket and beer down. She then took the juice pouches from Merrick. Cade reached behind his computer and brought out her camera case, with her phone number still clipped to it. Reaching for the paper, he plucked it from the strap and stuffed it into his pocket. She gave him an astounded look. He laughed. "I keep all the phone numbers for records." It was an obvious lie. She said nothing and stabbed a straw into the juice pouch, handing it to Merrick.

"Are you some kind of junk man?" Merrick asked brightly, "Cause you sure got all this stuff!"

Mira and Cade both laughed and Mira ruffled his hair in her fingers. "Merrick, what a thing to say!" She gave Cade an apologetic look, and mouthed sorry to him. Cade shrugged and took a drink of beer before setting it down on the workbench.

"No," he began, grabbing Merrick under the arms and swinging him up into the barstool which served as a computer chair. Merrick smiled brightly at the man before taking a sit of juice. Mira watched carefully as she uncovered the pie and the chicken, and Tessa arrived with the eating ware. Cade gestured to all his...things...and finished his thought. "I'm an inventor. All this stuff has a purpose."

"Yeah," Tessa replied bitterly, "to become junk."

He shot her a look. "I believe, son, that everything has a purpose, no matter how big, small, or what condition. Everything is made to be used, no matter what." He grabbed a piece of machinery from beside his computer, "See, this may be just a distributor cap for that truck," he gestured towards the truck. He turned it upside down and emptied his pockets full of screws, bolts, and washers into it. "...but it can hold everything else, if I need it to."

Mira paused over the pie and blinked at him. Quite a lesson for a man dealing with junk to teach. She smiled at him and then handed him a plate, thrusting a fork into the other hand. Taking a knife, she began slicing the pie into sections. Tessa grabbed a chicken wing and some fries before disappearing into the house, claiming she had homework. Mira, Merrick, and Cade devoured the food and made conversation.

...

It was astounding how fast his spark was beating now.

He watched her, quietly from across the building, unwilling to breath in fear he would give himself away. How could she, seated over there so close to him, be real? At first he thought he'd imagined her in the theatre, willing himself to believe he'd hallucinated her. But now, here she was again!

He knew he wasn't hallucinating, because her laughter was so rich and so beautiful; a laugh he never could concoct in his head himself. The way she gestured with her hands as she spoke, the way she wrinkled her nose when she laughed, and the way her seriousness was attentive and strong as she explained a topic. All of it was so real and so...her. He knew, by the beating of his spark and the familiarity of her voice that he was not imaging her.

Mira looked slightly different than before; she'd always been built strong and stocky as she called it, but she was a bit heavier than he could remember-again, probably from bearing a child. She'd cut her hair by the looks of it, the tendrils of curls loose from her clip hanging about shoulder length; still a light brown and curly as springs. Her face was still perfectly round and her eyes a shocking deep blue, and she still had those three beauty marks under her left eye. The sun had kissed her skin a bit too much, leaving a tint of red blushing across her nose and cheeks; hardly visible beneath silver and blue rimmed glasses.

The boy, he noticed, had grown since he'd last seen him. Optimus Prime remembered a small, toddling little thing that couldn't speak and that could hardly walk. Since that day, the boy had grown into a juvenile child; thin, with sand colored hair and brown eyes, like his father. His hair contained a wave texture, not curly like his mother, but more along the lines of his father. He strikingly reminded Optimus or William Lennox; who was most obviously the boys father.

He wondered how long they'd be staying. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when the boy excused himself from the table and hurriedly walked towards the truck alternation. A slight twinge of panic seized him again; he did not want this boy crawling in or around him-there was far too much evidence Mira could place together, if she were to come inspect the situation. So, he quickly locked the cab doors and sat still.

The boy, gazing up at the tall vehicle, reached out to touch him. His small hand pressed flat against the tough, cold metal. It was unbelievably warm and soft, and Optimus swore innocence had just placed itself on him. A dazzling amazement radiated from the boy's eyes as he removed his hand, as if touching Heaven itself, and dusted the remainder of dust on his jeans. A wave of emotion hit Optimus, until the boy spoke.

"Mama," he called over his shoulder, "what happened to this truck? What hit him?"

He was obviously referring to the soccer-ball sized holes in his form. Panic shot through his circuitry-Mira could not come over here, for is she did, he would be compromised. Unwilling to bring unwanted-or needed-to his friend's child or herself, he quickly flicked the activation switch for his holoform, positioning it right outside the barn door. When it didn't flicker or falter, he spoke.

...

"Hello?"

A voice behind her made Mira jump in her seat, immediately standing and turning, taking a few steps to stand beside Cade, who straightened instantly and gave his full attention to the barn door. The voice was male, and the door opened as he rapped his knuckles on the door lightly. Peeking inside, he scanned the area, and stepped fully through the door.

He was tall, about six foot two, with amazingly broad shoulders. His forearm muscles were hugely thick and built, and he had deep black hair and stubble resting along his jawline. Piercing blue eyes-almost like ice-looked straight at her, and she felt him staring into her soul. His outfit was deeply country; a deep blue pair of Wranglers, black cowboy boots, and a red and blue plaid shirt with silver buttons and no sleeves. He wore a necklace, but Mira could not see any emblems. The stranger carried an oddly familiar, commanding presence about him, but held grace and gentility-perhaps even honor?-in his eyes.

He approached them. "Are you Cade Yeager?" he asked, a deeply rich baritone rumbling up from his chest. Mira's eyes widened at the man as warmth spread over her-she knew him, but she'd never even met him before.

"Maybe," Cade countered defensively, "who're you?"

The man looked away instantly. Interesting. He hesitated a moment before answering, "Cullen. My name is Cullen," he said solidly, extending a hand. "I'm sorry to have frightened you."

"What do you want?" Cade challenged again, unwilling to shake the man's hand. Mira instantly felt sorry for the man up against Cade's southern rudeness and protectiveness, and stepped between them to fill the man's hand with her own. Slipping it into his, she shook it gently and smiled at him softly.

"Hello," she replied, "My name is Mira." Merrick came dashing over to her, stopping to her left, staring up at the unbelievably attractive, and tall, stranger. "This is Merrick, my son."

Cullen looked down at the boy and gave a half smile to him. "A privilege to meet you," he looked to Cade, "I am here on business. I was told by a gentleman at the Uptown Theatre that a Cade Yeager purchased a cab-over truck yesterday afternoon," he found the truck and looked at it, gesturing to it with a hand. "Are you that man?"

Cade, obviously aware the man wasn't going to harm them, stepping up beside Mira. Mira watched him shelteredly nod slowly, "I am, yes."

Relief hit the man's face and eyes. "Good. I trust it has landed in good hands."

"Why do you ask?" Mira interjected, placing her hands on Merrick's shoulders and pulling her into him. "...Does the truck belong to you?"

The man looked at her with those icy-blue eyes and closed them, nodding. "It does, yes. I was in an accident a few months previous and it was taken from me by officers before I could have it repaired. Somehow it ended up at the Theatre, and now here." He looked at it. "It's been in my family for years. Almost a part of me, you could say."

The eloquent way he spoke hit Mira to the core. She was instantly mesmerized by this stranger, Cullen. Looking towards the worn truck, she wondered how-and why-he had come looking for it, wanting it back, apparently. Cade had a look of disbelief on his face when he asked the next question.

"...Are you wanting it back?"

The man nodded once. "That would be my reason for intruding," he gestured towards the door, "I saw the lights and the door was slightly open, so I made my presence known. I hope I have not intruded on your...gathering."

Merrick wrinkled his nose. "You talk funny," he commented.

Mira shot him a look down as he looked up at her. "Merrick," she chastised quietly, looking back up at the man. "Sorry," she replied. Looking to Cade, she took Merrick's hand and made her way towards the door, "We'll leave you two alone, if you don't mind. We'll be outside."

The door thumped quietly back into the place, the stranger and Cade watching her as she left.


	6. Five

**Chapter Five**

**...**

A frigid breeze caught the collar of Attinger's wool peacoat. Which was fine, essentially, he would've pulled it up around his neck anyway. Stuffing his leather-gloved hands deep into his pockets, he stepped off the Huey and marched on the freezing, alien spacecraft towards the figure standing next to a monstrous cannon.

Twenty armed "guards" were about a yard behind him, with floating camera bots and armed sentries. It was an army against one man and a chopper, Attinger realized, a freaking army against one solitary human. Shaking his head, the cold wind had stiffened his beard. His breath made his glasses fog until he stopped, his asset meeting him halfway.

Lockdown was his name. Of what Attinger knew of the being, he held no alliance with the Decepticons or Autobots-whoever had the deepest pockets, essentially. He was a mercenary of the stars, straightening out the galaxies for God only knew what in return. Lockdown cleaned up messes, and Earth was a big one.

He looked more human than most of the other bots, Attinger noted. His facial features greatly resembled a human skull. He was about 13 feet tall, with broad shoulders. Attinger would've guessed he was a trim guy; he was perfectly shaped and armored. He couldn't imagine the types of weapons the bot carried in all those hidden compartments-he knew Lockdown's face could separate and turn itself into a highly dangerous sniper. He was suddenly very glad for their...contract.

"I thought you told me you would have him in Mexico City." was the greeting. No hello, no nods, no anything but business. Attinger rolled his eyes and huffed.

"We _did. _But, the girl interfered."

He made growling noise and snorted. "So much for human intelligence," he muttered. "Be aware, Mr. Attinger of Earth, that contracts, like humans, expire..." he looked towards the chopper. "...whether by accident or by purpose." Attinger tried to retain a stone-face, but found his brows rising at the insinuated threat.

"I'm aware of the contract's stipulations,"

Lockdown gave him a disgusted half smile, "Very good then. One Prime and one Shield, for the one seed. Nothing more, nothing less."

Attinger nodded his understanding. "If we find Optimus, the girl won't be far behind."

Lockdown gave a dissatisfied exhale. "And have you located either?"

"Not yet," he began.

Lockdown gave him and overly disgusted look. "You humans are like children," he snorted, "always needing supervision..."

"...but we have a tip on the girl."

The mercenary raised an optic ridge, as if pleased by the sudden blossom of intelligence. "Good. Find her, and you will find Prime. He's not going to let anything happen to her, or the Shield."

"We're working on it."

Lockdown turned, then glanced slightly over his shoulder. "I don't feel assured."

Attinger was silent. Lockdown made the trek back into the ship, and rallied his armies inside.

...

Mira seated herself on an old barrel, Merrick at her feet tracing his finger in the dirt. Mira listened to the murmuring of the two men, bargaining over the truck and talking about its condition. She kept her focus on the sky mostly, watching the stars begin to form in the dusky night air, which had cooled significantly. It was almost eight, and she was exhausted. Taking a piece of loose curl, she wrapped it around her finger relentlessly until the door the barn opened.

The man known as Cullen stopped in the doorway, propping the door open with one incredibly thick arm. He looked at Mira, a small smile forming on his lips, then to the child. He blinked once, nodded to her, and stuffed his hands into his pockets before making his way down the driveway. Mira watched him leave until she could no longer see his form in the forming darkness. Slipping off the barrel, she felt an oddly warm sensation on her skin, and looked down to the emblem hiding beneath the cotton dress. It was insanely warm, and she wrinkled her brow. Strange.

Walking back into the barn, Merrick followed lazily behind her. The poor boy's eyes were beginning to droop and Mira approached the bench, where Cade was leaning up against the edge, arms crossed over his chest. He was staring at the truck with a curious look on his face, or maybe it was disappointment. "Cade?" she asked quietly. He jerked back to reality and turned around to face her.

"Yeah?" he asked, suddenly aware of her presence.

She smiled at him. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I think I'd better get little man on home," she rubbed the boy's shoulder as he leaned against her leg, "it's getting late."

He nodded. "It sure is," he squatted down to face Merrick at eye level and gave the boy a goofy grin. "I'll see ya later, buddy. Keep your Ma awake on the road, alright?"

Merrick yawned and nodded, looking up to Mira. She smiled at him and turned to the workbench, beginning to pack what was left of dinner. After everything was replaced into the basket, Cade handed her the camera, and she nodded.

"I'll go get my purse-" Cade stopped her with a shake of his head.

"Nah. You made Tessa and I dinner, which was great," he smiled at her, "that's payment enough."

She shook her head. "No, no, it's not. I need to give you something."

He chuckled. "No, really, it's fine-"

"-I'd feel horrible-"

He held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you what. Promise me you won't get mad when I tell you this and that'll be payment enough," She looked at him curiously and grabbed the basket, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

"I..."

He scratched behind his neck, "I lied. I told you I keep phone numbers of clients, and that's a lie. I kept your number because I was going to call you and ask you to dinner, which I normally don't do." He shrugged, her mouth twitching to drop open, which she didn't allow. "But, seeing as you wear a ring, I shouldn't be saying anything at all, now should I?"

"Oh." was all she managed for a moment. Merrick was pulling at her dress now, asking with a lazy mumble to go home, and she backed up towards the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest and panic was tracing a path of dread in her veins. As handsome as he as and as attracted to him she felt, she couldn't possibly...could she? Will had only been gone a year..."Cade, I-"

"-let's just call it square," he approached Merrick and grabbed the boy under the arms and swung him up and rested him on his hip. "and you need to get this here boy home and in bed. It's late." He nodded towards the door and opened it, holding it for her with his bootheel. Mira, astounded at him, walked out and towards the truck, her mind ablur with emotion, confusion, and...fear?

Once at the truck, Cade kindly buckled Merrick into the seat and set the basket next to the boy. He opened up the truck door for Mira and draped his arms through the open window, leaning against the door. Mira, still confused by him, got into the truck and asked the question racing through her mind, which ended up a botched and horrifying mess of confused words. "Tessa, her mother...?"

A look hit his eyes she was all too familiar with. "...died when Tessa was born. It's been me and Tess since the hospital."

She looked away and grabbed the wheel. "Cade, I'm so sorry." she whispered. "I..."

He gave her a weak smile, "Don't worry about it. What about this?" He lifted his left ring finger and wiggled it. "I'm sorry to have-"

"-my husband died in Mexico a year ago." she blurted. His eyes met hers and she felt her own widen. A fierce blush painted onto her cheeks and she quickly stepped up into the truck.

"He...what...? Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. But that's not important," she grabbed the door and thumped it closed. "It really isn't. I need to go now, Cade. Thank you again for fixing my camera. Maybe we'll bump into each other." She started the truck with a roar, threw it into reverse, and barreled out of the driveway, kicking up stones as she went.

She left him there, in the dust.

...

After Mira tucked Merrick into his bed, the boy barely able to function, she changed out of her dress and into one of Will's oversized t-shirts. Then, crawling into bed, she clicked off the bedside lamp and stared into the darkness of the room, unable to sleep.

What had happened? Will had only been gone a year...was that a long time? It didn't feel like it as she lived in this house, looked at his pictures, smelled his clothes. It didn't feel like a year when she looked into her son's eyes or watched the painted sky from her porch. It felt only like it was yesterday her William had left her, and Robert Epps too for that matter. They might as well have died with Ratchet yesterday, the wounds felt so fresh.

But...a year? Was grief really a timed ordeal, or did one grieve until their heart was healed? Would she be shaming her union to Will if she started dating again-was she capable of dating again, or ever for that matter?

And what of Merrick? She wondered if the boy was ready for a new man to walk into their lives and take on the role Will had left behind. How would he feel, getting a new father? Could she drag him through that? Would he ever be able to accept a new man and call him "Father', or was that a pipedream?

"God," she whimpered, "What is happening? You're in control up there, You get it. How am I supposed to feel? How long do I have to grieve-or do I have to stop grieving?" she rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

Ecclesiastes 3:4, from Scripture, came to mind. _"A time to weep, and a time do laugh, a time mourn and a time to dance..." _There was allotted time for each activity, she decided. But, when was one to know when their time was finished? Was it a feeling, or a realization? Would she just wake up one morning ready for a new love?

She wondered if Cade felt the same way.

Mira let the thoughts roll around in brain a few minutes...then they drifted off to the stranger from the evening. Who was this Cullen, exactly? He'd just shown up out of nowhere, wanting his truck back. A peculiar man, to be sure, one that would need further investigation before passing judgement. Though Mira had never laid eyes on him, she felt in her soul she knew that man as if she'd grown up with him her entire life. She felt drawn to him...and those eyes. Oh, those eyes! They were so oddly familiar.

Both Cade Yeager and the stranger, Cullen, were on her mind as she fell asleep.

...

Cade used the garage creeper to roll himself up underneath the truck.

Lifting his hands above his head, he set to work putting the pieces back together he had torn apart. This Cullen character would be back tomorrow afternoon to get the truck and take it out of here, and he wasn't about to send something out the door that he had...destroyed. So, he set to work, tightening bolts and replacing screws, nuts, and washers.

That woman, he told himself. Man, she was something. Why he was attracted to her was a complete mystery, because she was nothing like Emily. She was outgoing, robust. A supreme smartness radiated from her eyes, and she was powerful. Actually, those eyes shook him to the core, something only Emily had done in his lifetime. Not even Tessa could do that to him. Hhe shook the thought from his mind and focused on...

...what was that?

It was a strange engraving; a symbol, almost. It looked oddly like Japanese or Chinese, but it...wasn't. Furrowing his brow, Cade rolled out from under the truck in search for a trouble light of some kind. Clutching one, he rolled back under and inspected it some more. It wasn't engraved into the metal...it was part of the metal. He ran his thumb across it. Strange.

He continued his work, fixing here and there, updating a few welds and grinds there. Then, he opened up the hood and decided to get a charge on that battery, if the poor girl would even turn over. So, grabbing some jumper cables and looping them over his shoulder, he managed to find a tractor battery and haul it into the barn.

Bringing it up onto the lift, he set it down, the weight shaking the steel. He managed to hook up the cables to the truck battery and then he readied himself to attach them to the tractor. Cade clipped the cables onto the live battery, and instantly the truck went berserk.

Sparks flew at him from every angle, and Cade lifted an arm to block them. The truck began the shake and bounce, as if he'd just awakened Frankenstein's car. The lights began to flash and smoke poured out from the exhaust and the engine, and a radio cackled and coughed to life. Cade, by this time, was gripping the railing of the lift, gaping at the creation before him. His mouth went dry and every nerve constricted within him. No wonder Cullen wanted his truck back!

Then, there was a flickering of static, before a voice attempted to arise from the radio. It cut out, and Cade swung himself down from the lift and through the window of the cab. He slammed his palm against the radio and it stabilized, the voice now clear in its transmission:

"_Calling all Autobots, calling all Autobots..."_

"No way," he breathed, scrambling from the truck. He scrambled so fast, in fact, his foot caught on a wire running from the truck and he landed smack on his chest, his chin colliding with the floor. Pain spiked through his body, but she shoved himself up and hurried to face the truck, now entirely stationary. It had gone quiet, not moving, or speaking for that matter. Cade's breathing had picked up and his heart hammered wildly like an unleashed beast behind his ribs. He swallowed thickly and wiped the streaming sweat from his brow with his filthy wrist.

He had just found a Transformer.

...

"Mom!"

It was a cry louder than she could deal with at what, she glanced at the clock, _six _in the morning? Groaning, she reached for her glasses and sat up, swinging her legs over the beside and hurrying from her room as the cries continued.

"Mom! Mom! MOM!" they got louder and louder as she pounded down the hall and slammed open Merrick's door with a palm and a shove. Standing in the doorway, her eyes widened as she saw the destruction in her son's room.

Clothes, blankets, toys, books-all everywhere on her son's floor. The table of Lego's in the corner was overturned, and the bin of toys was emptied and shoved away from its place. Merrick was under the bed, frantically pulling things out from under it and chucking them behind him. Frustrated, Mira stormed in and bent down to stare at him.

"Merrick Elijah Lennox, what on Earth have you done!?" she squeaked, "Look at this room!"

He whimpered. "My semi," he cried, "it's gone!"

Oh no. The beloved semi truck from Will. Her heart dropped to her feet. Merrick took it everywhere with him and refused to be without it...it was the last gift to him from Will before he was killed. Mira's throat parched and she got down on her knees, placing her hands on the boy's now trembling shoulders. Tears poured down his little face as he began to whimper again.

"We'll find it," she declared softly, "let's keep looking."

Only after spending all morning and searching the entire house did Mira give up. She collapsed on the couch, Merrick next to her, still a sniffling, bawling little mess of human boy. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. "Do you remember where you had it last, hon?"

He sniffled again, and took a moment to think. "...last night. At the junk man's house."

She paused, and her heart stopped for a brief moment. "You mean at Cade's house?"

He nodded. "Mhm."

Mira closed her eyes as agony trailed a groove through her heart. She really had to go see that man again? That was far too much crow for one woman to eat! Sighing, she nodded and scratched her head. "You're sure?"

"Yeah! I left it next to the big truck."

Great. Just perfect.

Rising, Merrick did likewise and she slapped his bottom encouragingly. "Fine. Get dressed, we'll go over there." She stretched her arms over her head and made her way towards her bedroom, Merrick already gone in a dash of boyhood anxiety. Closing the door with a click she groaned and leaned against the door.

Great. Just...great.

...

The Rolls Royce squealed to a screeching halt outside the CIA.

Attinger might has well have flown from the backseat of the car, passed the suicide doors his cheuffer was late in opening, and into the building...his building. Grabbing the railing almost brutally he tromped up the stairs like a madman to meet a woman in a white, pressed suit. She handed him an Ipad and stated simply.

"We have a lock on a high-profiling target," she struggled in heels to keep up with him, "last sighted in Paris, Texas two days ago. No driver or paperwork." Attinger pushed open the heavy doors to his retro office and stopped, glancing over her shoulder at her. She stopped and stood straight, awaiting orders.

"Who spotted the target? Which surveillance room?"

The answer was almost robotic, "The Green room," she replied; usuing the code name for the radar room. Nodding, Attinger shooed her away, then rapidly approached the desk. Pounding the intercom button, he ordered the room "dark" and told his secretary to forward all calls.

Then, he took control of his world.

...

"Dad," Tessa moaned as she stepped through the barn doors, carrying a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice, "you forgot...what are you doing?" her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted her father feverishly working over that truck.

"Tessa!" the man jumped down from the lift and bolted towards her, "you're never gunna believe it!" his eyes were dialated from lack of sleep and excitement, and he looked deranged-and run over. Tessa began to worry and set the cereal and orange juice on the workbench beside them. Cade gripped her shoulders and smiled wildly at her.

"Dad," she asked calmly, "are you ok?" her voice was genuinely concerned. "You're scaring me."

He let go of her and began pacing, grabbing at his short cropped hair with itchy fingers. Then, he paused to look at the truck, took a few steps forward and thrust his index finger at it. He looked at Tessa and approached her again, still pointing. "Tessa...it's not a truck."

Her eyes widened. "Dad."

"It's, not!" he declared. The barn door behind Tessa slapped closed. In stepped Lucas, his business partner and oldest college buddy. A surfer bum by trade, the guy had trekked halfway across the country to come and work for him as an assistant...something Cade still had a hard time believing. He had swimming trunks on, a mismatching t-shirt and hoodie, and flip-flops-hardly prepared for a hard day's work, as usual. "Lucas! Thank God!" Cade practically jumped the man and grabbed his hoodie, pulling him towards the truck.

"Whoa dude, chillax." Lucas stopped and put his hands up. "Nice to see you too."

Cade frowned at him. "Be serious!" he declared. Running towards the truck, he scrambled up the lift as Tessa and Lucas approached slowly. Grabbing the cables, he positioned them in each hand and began his former thought, "I've been up all night, workin' on this thing..."

"We know!" Tessa challenged.

Cade pointed one of the cables at her. "Tessa!" he barked, her quieting. He panted now, exhausted and starving for words, "I found some strange symbols on the undercarriage of this guy here and guess what? They aren't Chinese or Japanese-I checked." He gestured towards the truck. "And I hook it up to these cables and look what happens."

"Dad, I really think you need to lie down..." Tessa began. Lucas followed suit.

He sighed, "Dude, seriously..."

"No, no I _won't _lie down!" he shouted, "Watch, watch!" Striking the cables to the active battery, Cade hurried down the lift to stand with Lucas and Tessa, beholding the truck now shaking violently and bobbing around, as it had last night. Sparks continued to fly as more smoke billowed from the beastly machine. Tessa, obviously petrified, clutched onto his arm, trying to take horrified steps back. Lucas just stood in awe and beheld the scene. The radio cracked to life and sent off the same message as it had last night, the Autobots rally, and Cade nodding, pointing.

"It's..." Tessa began, horrified.

"It's a..." Lucas couldn't finish the thought.

Cade smiled wildly in sheer awe. "...it's a Transformer."

"Oh my gosh!" Tessa bolted out of the barn with a squeak, Lucas soon following. Cade, torn between staying with the truck and going after his daughter, decided the truck wasn't apparently going anywhere soon. He bolted out of the barn, but before he did, he heard an oddly familiar voice coming from the radio, laughing.

"_No, silly. That is Romeo and Juliet; an infamous love story written by the great, late Shakespeare," _the giggle erupted as the message continued. "_...it's a beautiful love story, Optimus..."_ Cade froze, one hand on the door of the barn as he put two and two together. That woman was Miriam Lennox, the very woman he had in his barn last night.

And that was Optimus Prime she'd been explaining Romeo and Juliet too...an _Autobot!_

"Tessa!" Cade was about to tear out of the barn, when suddenly there was a solitary click that caught his full attention. Followed, was a mess of chaos he could not begin to describe.

The truck literally lifted-lifted!-from its stationary place and broke apart into a mess of pieces, almost like a Rubix cube. It began to shift and turn violently, whirring and clashing into place like a brass band gone haywire. Two legs began to form, and then two arms, followed by the entire engine block falling into place roughly in the middle of the entire being. Then, a face appeared as plates shifted into place and fell into lock, followed by two gleaming eyes. Cade, falling against the door, gripped it with white knuckles as the roughly 40 foot being struggled to stand, stumbling forward but expertly correcting itself. His right arm instantly shifted into a huge gun, and he declared forcefully, but woundedly:

"I'll kill you, humans!"

Cade's throat constricted. Two bodies slammed into him from behind, Cade stumbling forward into the barn. The being-obviously a Transformer-continued to struggle, obviously disoriented and heavily wounded. He swung his gun around wildly, yet unwilling to shoot off rounds. Tessa screamed and Lucas hollared something, but Cade whirled around and put up his hands to them. "Shh, shh!" he hissed. "He's not going to hurt us...he'd have done it already."

"Dad," Tessa squeaked. Cade hushed her with a forceful look before turning around. Arms in the air, he slowly approached the robot, who watched him wickedly like wounded hawk. The robot clutched a hand to his chest, where a glowing orb rested preciously. He was almost entirely doubled over, as if shot to the abdomen-or something worse.

"Hey," Cade declared to him, "it's okay. We're...we're not going to harm you," he said softly. There was a rapid set of footsteps behind him, as Lucas bolted past him, towards the storage room, screaming and cursing and yelling.

"We're gunna die! It's going to KILL US! We're going to DIE!" The robot frowned, lowered his gaze to the now frantic Lucas, and gave a somewhat disgusted look to the human. Bringing his once hand now gun hand around, he gently pushed it in Lucas' direction, when a loud crack hit the air. Lucas' body hit the floor with a heavily ungraceful thud and he was instantly silenced unmoving. Tessa fell against the workbench, dazed.

"Whoa, whoa," Cade took a few panicked steps forward, hands still up in a cautious, friendly surrender. "It's ok. You're hurt, badly...and obviously by human beings." The being gave his attention back to Cade and lowered his guns. "I'm not going to hurt you, I swear it. I'm here to help you."

Realizing he was not in danger, the being transformed his hand back into a hand and the gun vanished. Cade was relieved, somewhat. Putting his hands down, he asked the next question. "Are you...?"

Standing full height after realizing the barn could contain him, he put a hand to an-oozing?-head wound and stumbled forward. Tessa screamed as the earth shook beneath their feet at his intensely massive weight. Then, he gave a look to Cade and nodded.

"I am in your debt," he began, "Forgive my forwardness. Where is Miriam Lennox?" The resonation of his command struck Cade to his core. It almost knocked him to his knees, the leadership and honor in his voice, even in his state. He instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Cullen, from last night. How...?

"Uh," he began, Tessa coming up beside him. She looked at the robot and then to her father, confusion replacing fear for almost a brief moment.

"He's asking for the girl from last night?" she asked again. Cade nodded.

"Well," Cade began, "she, ah...she doesn't...she doesn't live here?" it came out as more of a question than a statement. He changed the subject. "Who..." he stepped forward, "who are you?"

The being looked to Tessa, then his surroundings, and then focused on Cade. He gave him an intense stare before he replied. "I..." he winced and pulled back as obvious pain overtook him, now standing to a full, towering height, "...am Optimus Prime."


	7. Six

**Chapter Six**

**...**

Goosebumps raced up Cade's arms as two thoughts crossed his mind.

Thought one: Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot movement, was standing in his barn, falling to pieces, wounded and saying he was in debt to Cade and his daughter, Tessa. What was the leader of an alien army doing here, in Texas? Cade knew the activity of alien's and the suspicions should be reported in-he drove by the blasted billboard every day. After seeing Tessa turn an even whiter shade, he wondered if she was contemplating the action.

Thought two: Mira Lennox. Optimus Prime had mentioned her by full name. Also, he possessed a recording of her voice in the explanation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He knew this woman, and she was obviously important-but why?

Cade could hardly form words. "Optimus...Optimus _Prime?" _he must've sounded like a awe-struck child, well, that's how he felt anyway. Crossing his arms over his chest, he wrinkled his brow. "From the Chicago War?"

"That is correct," he said softly, a shot of pain-the pain of grief-filling his voice. "Which again presents my question: where is the girl? It is vitally important she is not here," he tried to stand again, but shook the earth roughly as he stumbled to take a knee of rest. Cade and Tessa stabilized themselves, Lucas still unconscious where he fell.

"Mira doesn't live here," Tessa interjected quickly, some bravery returning to her squeaky, shaking voice, "she left. With the little boy."

Relief presented itself with a sigh in his voice. "Thank Primus," he closed his optics, "she cannot be permitted to be here, with me. The possibility presents more danger for her than one could imagine." He looked to the door and tried to stand again, "I, while forever grateful for your kindness, must leave." Cade, wrinkling a brow, held up his hands as if to stop the 40 foot Commander.

Optimus stumbled forward as he tried to stand yet again, this time an arm flailing out to stabilize himself. It interwrapped with a chain hanging from the ceiling used to hoist engines out of heavy machinery. Struggling, he tried to free himself, but instead ripped the chain from its anchor and shaking it free, sending the heavy metal cord flying through the air and crashing through the glass of the office. Tessa screamed, obviously overwhelmed.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed, "Oh God! Oh God oh GOD, no!" she hurried from the barn, Optimus and Cade watching her go. Cade reached for her but then turned around as Optimus finally aware he couldn't possibly leave, sank to his knee again, coughing. Cade realized he was in worse shape than he realized as well. Walking towards the Autobot Leader, he grabbed a welding apron and began tying it around himself.

"And where do you think you'll go?" Cade asked, almost daringly. He pulled himself up onto the lift to stand eye-level with Optimus, leaning against the railing with arms crossed over his chest. "And how far do you think you'll get?"

Optimus looked at him firmly. "I do not know," he began, "but if Mira is anywhere nearby, I must go. Her life is endangered if I stay."

"Mira is long gone." Cade comforted. "Last night...did not end well. So you're good there." He laid his hands out on either side of him, to express confusion and make a point. "How do you know her anyway? Is she a witness to Chicago?"

Optimus was quiet for a long moment. His optics betrayed him with emotion, however, as Cade realized Mira was far more than just a witness. He wouldn't look Cade in the eye when he stated the next phrase, very low and quiet, almost with...shame? "It is a very long story I'm afraid."

Bending down to grab some tools from the lift, he flipped a wrench in his hands and raised his brows. "I've got time."

...

The wind whipped ferociously through Mira's hair, loosening the clip from her hair. Frustrated, she yanked it out of her hair and tossed it on the passenger's seat. Gripping the wheel with both hands again, she felt the truck pull at the gravel with deep-threaded tires, kicking up stones which rattled against the underbelly and rocker-boards. Merrick was cowering the back of the truck at the loss of the semi, and she steadied her focus back on the road. Spotting the turn-off to Cade's driveway, she pulled in, hardly slowing.

The back end of the truck fishtailed, and she roared down the driveway.

* * *

"So," Cade lit the blow torch to life with spitting fire as he thought through most of what Optimus Prime had explained to him. "Mira...she's...like a leader?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. She possess the Shield of the Matrix of Leadership, a lost artifact of my home, Iacon. With it she has almost as much potential as the Matrix itself. The Shield turns itself into a mechanical key compiled of Energon," he gestured to the spark within his chest when he explained the Matrix, "and may turn anything into a Cybertronian that Mira-and myself-may control, since the Shield is coded to both of our genomes. It holds unimaginable power."

Cade wrinkled his brow, gesturing to Optimus with the lit torch. "And, you gave this 'Shield' to her why? If she's a human-which she obviously is-and we're all trying to kill you off," he continued his thought, "then why give it to her?"

Optimus sighed, "Mira's allegiance with my team-and our cause-goes back farther than Chicago. She has been with us since we've arrived on this planet," he said gravely, "and has endangered herself more times than I would appreciate. She is as much an Autobot as I am." He reached up and touched the activation switch behind his antennae and focused his optics on the wall of the barn. A holographic image of pyramids appeared, encased by an immensely beautiful desert. In the lower right hand corner, the symboling from Optimus' undercarriage-Cybertronian-translated itself in the words Cairo, Egypt.

"Mira, with all her bravery and wisdom, chose to fight beside my Autobots out of pure allegiance and love," he began firmly, "and with a desire to see a race with hopelessness in their wake rise to be a people we once were. She fights beside us now for glory, nor fame, not even praise; she fought beside us because of honor. She wanted to see us return to what we were; a peaceful, unified race of science, knowledge, and imagination."

Cade's brows rose. "Wow," he breathed, watching the footage of Mira dive into the sand as a missile soared over her head and crashed into a stone obelisk. She whipped a look over her shoulder and called out with a silent scream, then pushed herself up and dashed for the pyramids again. "...and you trusted her?"

"I trust Mira with my life," Optimus interjected strongly, "she is brave. And wise. Mira desires to learn, to imagine. She was much like myself before I came here. She strives to become greater, stronger, wiser. She has fought beside me as if she was of my people by birth. She loves us," he breathed, "..she is my family."

Cade blinked at the bot, the footage fizzling away into electromagnetic sparkles. "Man. She's really something, isn't she?"

Optimus nodded. "Mira is the reason I am alive today, and perhaps luck," he mused, "and I owe her my life. Which is why I cannot, by any circumstances, allow myself to stay. If she were to know..."

Cade situated a welding helmet on his head before chuckling. "She isn't coming back."

Optimus gave him a look of surprise. "You seem confident in the assumption." As Cade flipped the helmet down and set the flame to a correct speed, he continued, "Mira is not one to shy away from trouble. She actually rallies around the very idea."

"She ain't comin' back. Not from what I saw in her eyes."

He blinked. "And what did you see?"

Cade flipped the helmet back up to stare at the bot. "I saw...fear. She was genuinely afraid of me. I've never seen that look in anyone before."

Optimus was silent a moment before he replied. "Mira fears rejection more than anything," he affirmed, "and she fears inadequacy. She doesn't realize her position of leadership, or her capacity for greatness. Her past is her enemy, Cade, and she has surrendered to it more than she has conquered it."

Cade thought on that a moment. "Yeah, it seems so."

"...and you must not hold it against her. Mira is the best human I know, and I have had the privilege of serving beside her, learning beside her, and teaching beside her. She is a remarkable person, but as does every one of us, she possess hurts and flaws that only she can change."

...

Unmerciful _Pit_ she hated this.

Mira threw the truck into park and pushed open the door, trying her best to muster up any amount if courage she could. Just get the blasted truck, and get out. Eat as little crow as possible and it'll be fine. He understands your grief, she told herself, he lost a wife.

Striding towards the barn, she spotted no activity from the house, until Tessa peeked out the screen door and practically bolted for her. Mira stopped as Tessa skidded to a stop in front of her, confused as the girl's face was white as a sheet with fear. She was trembling and had been crying, and she grabbed Mira's arms with both hands and her voice shook.

"Mira! Thank _God!" _she grabbed her wrist and began jerking her towards the barn. "He's...he's been asking about you! _It's _been asking about you! You have to come and tell it to _leave!" _Her words were rushed together and frantic. Mira's brow had long since wrinkled and she stopped, grabbed Tessa by the arm and brought her around to face her.

Her lips trembled and Mira's heart broke. That man...what had he done to his child? She grabbed the girl and stroked her fingers across her palms, an action which was proven to calm frantic subjects. In this case it caused Tessa to let out a sob and have tears practically explode from her eyes. Her knees knocked together and she buckled forward, Mira catching her. "My life...is...is over. Over!"

Mira stood her up. "Tessa...what's wrong? Did your father hurt you? What happened...is he okay?" A twinge of something hit her heart at the thought of something happening to Cade-this poor girl didn't need another death in her life. Mira looked towards the barn. Tessa continued to bawl, shaking and sobbing and muttering under her breath, casting worried glances towards the barn. "TESSA!"

"Just..._come!_" she pulled Mira in the direction again. Releasing her hand, she jogged pathetically towards the barn and Mira ran behind her. Tessa, reaching for the doors, pulled them open with weak arms and theyfell the rest of the way, as if allowing Mira passage into a tomb or a relic. Tessa marched towards the back of the barn, where Cade-and the figure behind him-were shouting for her to close the doors. They silence as Mira's frame filled the doorway.

Her world began to spin as she looked beyond Cade, to the huge form behind the man. Two eyes-optics-stared at her like they had before, soft, but firm and commanding. A pool of warmth hit her stomach, but was instantly ratified by an icy sensation taking over her body. A mixture of tremors and gooseflesh laid siege to her nerves, and she felt her knees go weak. She stumbled forward, unable to contain the hundred different emotions racing through her. Her heart might as well have sprouted into a V8 engine it was pumping and beating so hard behind her ribs. Heat flared up her neck and blossomed into red on her cheeks and she opened her mouth to speak.

"P...Pr..._Optimus?_" It was a garbled mess of vowels and consonants, so mispronounced and weak it was scary. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Heat flared on her chest skin, so hot that it penetrated into her sternum, then raced down the softness of her breasts. She placed a hand to it and felt the humming of the Shield recognize its master. The massive form began to sway slight, reaching out a huge hand towards her.

"Mira!"

She swayed, and then the world went dark as her head cracked against the floor.


	8. Changing Her Stars--Ark Entry 1

**Author's Note**

**Somewhere in the galaxy, 23:10**

* * *

"What are you doing?"

I look up from my journal, "Nothing," I reply, tapping the end of the Pilot G series pen on the half-scrawled paper. Chicken scratch handwriting had replaced the decency any human female should possess in penmanship. The Commander looks down on me and gives me an impatient, confused stare.

"You're lying. Something is obviously on your mind." He points a massive finger at the frayed pages of the journal. "You're thoughts betray you. And your writing, though illegible to your kind, is still legible to me. Don't hide." As if his pressuring and commanding presence didn't already want me to surrender to him, I sigh and slapped the book closed.

"I'm...telling them. I'm telling them why."

He looks confused, "Why what?"

"Why Mira is so...different."

He chuckles now, smiling, his optics almost glimmering with hope. "You speak if this is a bad thing."

"I'm...concerned," I look away, "what if they suddenly start to pick her apart? Humans are that way...you share a piece of yourself with them and they suddenly turn into a pack of wolves." A shiver ran down my back. "And Mira is me, so..."

He frowns, then stops me mid-sentence. "It doesn't matter what others think of us. All that matters is what the Creator thinks. Don't let people influence you into a place you do not wish to go. Fight the system, speak. _Be different_. I will not love you less, and the world would be foolish to as well. I think you will get quite a different response than what you may reason."

* * *

_Sending Transmission: _

_Unmerciful Pit...I hadn't realized the story would gather so much attention! I am pleased to see the acceptance and response the idea has received...perhaps Mira and Merrick's journey wasn't as unacceptable as I thought. Here I was inclined to think from the beginning of this that you'd all reject Mira and Merrick for their individuality and lack of development throughout the Transformers history. Don't worry...I'm planning things for Mira before the Uprising timeframe...good things, indeed. _

_Now, for some business: as disappointed as this will make some of you, I must assume the duty of conveying this message. Optimus and Mira's relationship is purely Guardian charge...there will be no romance between the two. Optimus see's Mira as more of a family member than he ever would a partner (and frankly, it's against Creation) so their relationship is purely platonic. She is perhaps his most trusted soldier, and his truest, bravest confidante. I am hoping Mira will come across as his one true friend, surrounded by those loyal to him and Cybertron; Mira loyal to _him.

_Secondly: some of you have been asking the question of which actors/actresses of Hollywood Mira and Merrick model after. The answer is...no one. Mira is modeled after myself, actually (see my profile) and there is a reason behind the madness. _

_Mira is a character that is relational; meaning that the world can relate to her. She's a character you wouldn't see in movies: overweight, curly hair, glasses, scared; she's lived a normal life. She's me, essentially. I am approximately 200 pounds, with curly brown hair and glasses, stretch marks, acne-by no means beautiful. I want people to realize you can be ordinary and not a model (ahem Rosie Huntington Whitely, Megan Fox, Nicola Peltz) to live in the Transformer's realm...and be a hero. Be someone that matters...be someone who can change their stars; not so much unlike Optimus Prime, who started out life as Orion Pax, a dataclerk (librarian) in the Hall of Records. He changed his destiny by stepping out and being someone different...and that's what I want. Someone different from the other OC's, someone that's almost so real you could've sworn you met the girl an hour ago. _

_So, Mira is myself. Her personality and fears are some of my own. Her walk with Jesus Christ and Scripture is a road I travel. Though I'm not married, nor ever have been, and I don't have a son...I want her to be relatable. _

_I want you, the readers, to love her._

_An ordinary woman who is about to change her destiny. _

_...a woman, my friends, like me. _

_In Honor, _

_Miriam (Miss A. Prime)_


	9. Seven

**Chapter Seven**

**...**

Tessa's gasp was more of a squeak than anything as she jumped, suddenly alarmed as Mira's body hit the ground with a thump. Her eyes widened and her and Cade both took off for the limp, motionless body. Optimus just stared, astounded, spark hammering within his plating. Cade skidded to a stop beside Mira's unconscious body, and lifted her head up carefully with his hand. Tessa kneeled down on the other side and put a trembling hand out to touch her.

The back of Mira's head was dry, signaling no blood or fracture-the ground wasn't soft, after all. Cade looked at Tessa and ordered, "Go into the house and get some water, and bring something cool for her head." Tessa nodded and got up, then looked at Optimus as is afraid to turn her back on him. Prime looked away from her and she carefully exited the barn.

Tessa stopped suddenly when a little figure stood just a few feet from the barn, looking down and walking towards her, not watching where he was going. Merrick, she remembered his name, stopped when he noticed her standing there. He smiled goofily at her. "My Momma in there?" He asked, pointing to the barn, "she said-"

"Dad!" she exclaimed towards the barn. Walking over and kneeling before the boy, she touched his shoulders. "Why don't you come inside and help me find something to drink, alright?" she asked lightly, trying to get the shaking out of her voice. Footsteps stopped behind her, and the barn door squeaked.

"Tessa...? Oh." Cade caught sight of the boy and kicked the doors closed. He approached them and squatted before the boy. "Hi Merrick."

Merrick smiled at him. "Hey, junkman." Defeated, Cade hung his head slightly. Merrick looked towards the barn. "Where's Mom?"

Cade took the boy's shoulders. "She's...in the barn. Resting. She's a bit...upset." He hated the lie before it came from his mouth, but he couldn't very well tell the boy the truth. "Hey. Let's go inside and get something to drink and something cold for your ma, huh?"

Merrick nodded. "Okay." Cade stood and offered his hand to the little boy, and then Merrick slipped his smaller one inside. Tessa realized in that moment her father had never had a son, and that he may have always wanted one. She pushed the thought from her mind before it could fully formulate. No, Mira wasn't her dad's type. She was...involved.

...

"The guy at the theatre said twenty miles," the driver confirmed, glancing at the highly improved GPS on the dash of the GMC truck.

Savoy chuckled and situated his comm-link in his ear, Attinger on the other line...doing whatever in the world Attinger did. He sat back in his seat and reached into his trench-coat pocket, pulling out the magazine for his "special edition" Baretta. Slamming it into the grip, he ran his finger along the barrel and chuckled yet again. He focused his sunglassed eyes on the horizon of the Texas sky and nodded.

"Alright then. Let's book."

...

There was quietness in the darkness.

A solumn quietness, which was beautifully silent, but disturbing. She felt like awakening held a gift for her, a gift her heart had been waiting for for all these years. Her heartbeat hammered in her chest, and she could feel it in her ears. Warmness radiated over her, budding at her chest and flowing throughout her veins. Light began to settle before her eyes as daylight peeked through the thin layer of skin her eyelids provided. It began to hurt.

She moved her head, her lips parting slightly to moan. A tingling feeling hit her skin as a warm hand wrapped around her shoulder. It was gracious and careful. She fidgeted at the touch and moaned again, this time her arm rising to touch her forehead. Instantly pain spiked up her spine and settled at the crown of her head. She'd fallen...

"Mira," the voice called from the darkness, quietly. It was male, and inviting. She recognized it instantly, but was slightly confused. Optimus was...gone. Since Mexico he'd been gone. She hadn't heard from him in...three years...

"Optimus," she breathed, still unable to place the situation. Her eyes fluttered open, and she felt someone fixing the glasses back into place on her face. Irritated, she rolled her head and instantly pinched her eyes closed again. The daylight _hurt. _"Optimus...?" her voice trailed again.

"It is I." the voice affirmed. Now able to open her eyes, she propped herself up on her elbows and instantly two strong hand grabbed her shoulders to stabilize her. "I do not advise getting up. You took quite a fall." She wrinkled her brow, now staring at the figure.

It was Cullen.

Dare she say it again? "_Optimus?"_

A chuckle this time. "The way you keep saying my name leads me to believe you don't think I exist," she shook her head slightly to piece the puzzle back together. "but, it is me, Miriam...Optimus."

She gaped at him. "But...you're _human_." her voice was more disbelieving than she would've liked. He squatted beside her. "I..."

"I am using a holoform," he replied casually, "a new...invention, given to us by Ratchet. We have used them effectively since Chicago." Mira, still frowning, used her left arm to grab his forearm roughly. It was definitely solidified...flesh. She dug her nails into his arm and he looked at the hand. "Mira," he chastened slightly.

Panic had to have seized her, because he only used that tone to calm her down. "I...you've been gone since Mexico." She shook her head, pushing him away. "It isn't you." she got up, wobbling, grabbing hold of a support beam to steady herself. "You're not Optimus. I...I met you last night! You said your name was Cullen...I watched you _leave."_

Optimus-or was it Cullen?-flashed her a look of hurt, and then sighed. "Mira. Last night...was not the right time-"

"-you can't prove anything!" she exclaimed.

He stepped towards her and grabbed her now trembling wrist. "You would not be shaking if you knew it wasn't me." he let her arm go when she resisted. "Mira, listen to me."

"No!" she clung to the post. "You're not-"

"_Miriam!_" he barked now, his voice striking the air with icy command. It froze her where she stood, like Prime always did when he corrected her so forcefully. He grabbed her wrist again and stared into her eyes...hard. She found Prime there, every trace of his essence, and finally relaxed her arm. He released her and reached towards her, and just under the collar of her shirt, lifting the leather string with his index finger and revealing the emblem. Resting it in his palm, it began pulsating now, gleaming brighter than before. Perhaps the one downfall of the Shield was its ability to recognize its master. Her throat parched and constricted.

"You have kept it safe," he breathed, relieved, "as I knew you would," he stared her straight in the eyes. "Now look into my eyes, Mira, and tell me that I am not Optimus Prime. Because if you did, I would be led to doubt my very existence." She could've emitted a squeak, but chose to stay silent. "_That _is the power you have over me, my dear."

"But..." she followed his arm to his face, "you're..."

He sighed, frustrated. "A _holoform. _You still are as stubborn and hardheaded as you were, aren't you?" He released her arm and continued, "Now, don't be alarmed..." his voice trailed as his body began to pulsate. Mira's eyes widened as he began to disspate into an electromagnetic shadow now. Soon his form was altogether gone.

"Optimus!" she squeaked. lunging for the place where he stood. Her heart was almost ripped from her chest when she looked to the back of the barn, where a towering figure emerged from the shadows. Her heart, now seemingly stopping living, seized as she hitched a breath. A hand covered her mouth and tears pulled at the corner of her eyes. "Optimus..."

She stepped towards him, feeling a force of unity, peace and ecstasy wash over her body. Her soul felt refreshed as she stared at him, and he at her. Now her heart began to beat rapidly, almost like a jet engine, and heat spread over her blood and up into her skin. Carefully she approached his 40 foot form as she stared up at him, and he down at her, watching her hard as if she would collapse again. Life itself couldn't push her over, now.

"I am here." he said gently. "It has been too long, my friend."

She choked back a sob when she spoke. "Three years is almost an eternity," she breathed, "you're..._alive." _He nodded slowly. "I thought you were dead, it's been so long."

"I am very much online, Mira. And you..."

"_Mom!_" the cry emanated from outside the barn, then a shuffling and skidding of rocks. "Let go!" Now, there was scuffling, and heavy footfalls. Optimus and Mira both looked at each other, unwilling to move, and then gave their attention back to the door. Her mothering instinct instantly kicked in when she heard her baby now crying, "Mom! OW!"

"Merrick!" she cried, bolting for the door Yanking it open only enough to slip through, she stopped only briefly to throw a look to Optimus. He nodded and she slipped through the door.

She was met with a familiar Baretta staring at her in the face.

"Hello, Ms. Lennox. Remember me?"


	10. Eight

**Chapter Eight**

**...**

Mira was not unfamiliar with squaring off with the barrel of a gun.

Actually, it reminded her of her NEST days, a time when she actually felt fulfilled. Why wouldn't she? She had Will, her friends, a job-serving her country. Life was good in NEST, and sometimes she relived her glory days through daydreams. Days of friendship and strength. Of...completeness. She remembered her missions with Will and Robert, how they would stand side-by-side, willing to take on the world if necessary. She remembered Ironhide and Ratchet at their peak, through war and science unifying a world and teaching...

She remembered this gun.

The man at the end of it she remembered too, though she didn't know his name. He was the man the night Ratchet had been killed just a few days previous, who headed the operation and saw to her friend's death. He was the man, also, who had killed her Will; so mercilessly. Heat flared up her body and solidified on her face, and her heart began to hammer. The Shield had stayed continually warm, and she hoped Optimus had gotten some kind of plan in order...this man could not be allowed to find him, she knew that much. Anger began to twitch through her body.

"Search the place!" he shouted at the men.

Then there was still on the air, the gun staring at her blankly. There was no room between her, the gun, and the door behind her. So, she stood, quietly, still. The breeze picked up at played at the end of the man's trenchcoat. He stood there, smirking at her for a few moments, letting his statement resonate through her mind. There suddenly was sharp scream and scuffling, and Mira shifted her eyes to find Cade and Tessa being roughly hauled out of the house by men in what appeared to be SWAT uniforms. Both were tossed down the stairs, Tessa tripping over a potted plant and Cade reaching out to catch her.

Merrick was tossed up against the barn by a man, kicking and screaming and crying. The barrel of a huge M16 pressing into his shoulders. He froze, but began to whimper. Mira's instinct's let loose and she dashed to the right, towards him, reaching out and screaming.

"No! Merrick! Let him go!" she hollared, the man swung his arm around and grabbed her forearm with a free hand, the gun still pointed at her head. She lurched to a stop too suddenly, so suddenly that she fell to the ground before the man roughly stood her up. Pain shot up her arm as he pulled her arm behind her back and threw her-threw her!-into the barn door, her face colliding with the rough wood. He dug the barrel into her skull, Merrick now crying and screaming at her. "Please," she sputtered against the wood, "don't hurt him..."

He was quiet a moment, then responded, "Cooperate," the man snarled, "and I'll see about it." He released her and nodded to the man holding Merrick. He released the barrel from his shoulders and Mira flung herself at him. He attached onto her, both of them a trembling heap of shared bloodline. She squeezed him tightly, leaning against the barn, until an arm grabbed her forearm and a soldier drug Merrick away from her.

"No!"

Merrick sobbed now, screaming highly, "Mom! Momma!"

"It's okay!" she promised, the man hauling her away from the barn and over to the grass in front of the house, where Cade and Tessa were contained each with their own soldier. The man whipped her, Mira tripping over something and hitting the ground hard. Her chin collided with the grass and she saw stars a moment. Pushing herself up, she shifted the center of her weight and hit the ground on her shoulders, kicking her feet around to slam into the legs of a nearby guard. He hit the ground, Mira sprining up and grabbing a wagon and shoving it towards another. It cracked against his ribs and he fell.

The butt end of a M16 came her way and she hit the ground. Instantly, six guns cocked and pointed her direction, two on Merrick, one each touching the temple of Cade and Tessa. Tessa whined and gasped, and Cade growled. Merrick sobbed now, shaking and sniffling profusely. Mira lay panting in the middle of a circle of guns, the man in the trenchcoat approaching and grabbing her by her mess of curls. He pulled her up, less than gracefully.

He was quiet, then spoke after a moment. He seemed to be listening, and Mira looked to his ear. He had a comm in, apparently receiving orders from someone. So there was someone behind the man in the trenchcoat. "Did you not listen?" he asked darkly. Staring her in the face, he released her and whipped her body the tree firmly planted into the yard. She hit it with a solid thunk, the back of her head cracking into the rough bark. She stood there, dazed, as the man pointed the gun at Merrick.

"Put the kid on the ground," he ordered. Instantly two soldiers crushed her son into the earth, Merrick squirming and crying and sobbing. He thrashed violently. Mira flung herself at him, hitting the ground and clawing at the earth to reach her baby. The man whirled around and fired a shot right next to her head, where a tuft of grass sprayed across her face and pebbles pricked her skin. Tessa screamed and Mira tucked her arms into her body, rolling away from the intrusion as soon as the gun had tired. She stopped as a soldier kicked his foot out and send her rolling across the lawn again. Now, she as at the feet of the man in the trenchcoat.

"Enough!" he barked, "Ms. Lennox," he slammed the grip of the gun between her shoulders, and she yelped. Cade screamed something, Tessa screamed just...shrilly, and Cade's body began to thrash violently. Merrick was watching, frozen, as his mother moaned.

"My name..." she struggled, "...is Mira," she groaned.

He chuckled. "I know who you are. Do you know who I am?" he challenged, squatting. He grabbed her shoulder and roughly rolled her onto her back, where aching pain shot through her shoulders and into the rest of her body. She grimaced and stared at him. Smirking, he removed his sunglasses and placed them on top of his head. She stared, then nodded.

"You killed my husband," she whispered, looking away. He smiled and nodded slowly.

"That's right," he stroked his finger along his special edition Baretta's barrel and clucked his tongue, "Your husband was uncooperative. I don't like uncooperative," he turned serious now and gave her a look of sheer stone, "...and I kill what I don't like, Mira."

Everyone turned quiet.

"Who are you?" she asked, disgusted.

He smiled. "James Savoy," he shrugged. "I don't think we've formally met."

Mira snarled at him and spit in his face quickly. His smile vanished and he wiped the spittle from his face, pointing the gun at her. He swore and gave her a look that made her think he was on the brink of loosing his mind. "Don't start with me, Lennox!" he hollared, "I'll kill you now like I killed your man!"

"No!" Cade exclaimed. Merrick burst out bawling again.

There was a muffled order, probably from his earpiece. Snarling, he lowered the weapon. "I guess not quite yet,"

Mira's stomach did a flip.

He continued, "I got a call from a young woman," he gave his attention to Tessa, who turned a dangerous pale. Everyone looked at her, and Cade's mouth dropped open. There was a look of disappointment that arose in his eyes and she looked away from him, sniffling and still trembling. Mira's eyelids fluttered closed when he chuckled. "You like that, huh? Yeah, I got a call from a young lady saying that her Daddy bought a truck that 'stood up'," he laughed now. "Ridiculous, right? Trucks just don't stand up," He stood now, and looked at the men pinning Merrick into the ground. He jerked his head towards the tree and instantly they picked up her son and began hauling him. Mira turned over onto her stomach and pushed herself up, watching them pin his back against the tree.

Then, there was a sound of feet tearing up gravel. A bang hit the air and everyone looked in the direction of the barn. A shaggy, blond haired man stumbled out of the barn and a troop of armed guards followed after him. Seizing the man by the hood of his sweater, the roughly began approaching Savoy when he put out a hand and rolled his eyes.

"Lucas," Tessa breathed. Mira could only wonder.

"Who is this fool?" The black man shoved the blondie-Lucas-into the circle. Lucas, apparently, got down on his knees, hands raised above his head, looking at everyone strangely. He reminded Mira of a coke-head, or maybe it was marijuana, the way his eyes were dilated and the way he was sweating feverishly. He looked at Cade and furrowed his brow.

"Dude," he asked calmly, "what's..."

Savoy released her roughly into the bare of two other soldiers, who looped their arms through hers. She began to kick and grunt and flail, but they held strong. Savoy shook his head and covered his face with his hands as Lucas went on and on, blabbering about nothing. Frustrated, Savoy leveled the gun at the blonde man and gave him a disgusted look.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered. He pulled the trigger and there was a scream from Tessa as Lucas' body crumpled to the ground in a bloody pile. Savoy took a hand and wiped at his arms, and when he pulled his hands away they were stained red. Tessa screamed and buckled, dropping to her knees. Her guards released her as she turned towards the bushes and vomited. Cade, stunned, hit the ground on his knees, looking at the now dead Lucas. Merrick whimpered and Mira gave her attention to the boy, heart at her feet and sorrow erupting from her soul. Sweat had long soaked her body now, and dirt smeared her face, as it did Merrick's. She began to tremble with fury.

Savoy grabbed her by the hair again, hauling her up. She fought his hands, trying to claw at his arm, which was protected by the coat. He chuckled and pulled her head back, then pressed the cool barrel into her temple. Bringing his head down, his lips tickled the top of her ear as he whispered his next statement, "I could always kill your baby boy," he looked over at Merrick with a devious smile, "and then there'd be a little family reunion is paradise, wouldn't there?"

"Merrick, no!" she pleaded. Two guns leveled at his head.

Her heart seized and then she closed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"The truck, Lennox. We know it's Optimus Prime. "

Mira interjected quickly. "I don't know-"

"-don't lie to me!" he shot a round towards the tree, where it sank into the bark just above Merrick's head. The boy silenced, and stood with wide eyes staring at his mother. Mira's knees buckled, which only made him pull her hair harder. The soldiers didn't even flinch. Blood was racing through her ears now. Her boy pleaded at her, gave her a stare which sent bullets crashing into her body.

"Everyone here knows your an Autobot sympathizer," he grabbed the Shield at her neck and fingered it, "how couldn't we? Now," he cocked the Baretta a dug the barrel deeper into her curls, "I won't ask again. Where is he." It more of an order than it was a question. A fluttering object appeared from behind the tree-it was small, about the size of a toy poodle, and looked like a dragonfly with green eyes. It was severely Cybertronian in trait, but she hadn't seen anything like it. One of the eyes focused itself, spinning and then it clicked softly. She realized it was a camera when she spotted a blinking red light.

...

"Don't kill her!" Attinger screamed into the comm. He touched the headset around his ears and then tapped a button on the keyboard with the end of a pencil. Letting his feet drop from the desk, he focused one of the lenses in on the woman, who stood there with such a scowling face of stone it was uncanny. He admired her for her bravery and ability to remain calm, even in the face of her boy being surrounded with weapons.

That was it. She wasn't afraid to die. But, her son...did she fear for his life?

Attinger smiled and steepled his fingers under his nose and chuckled. "Kill the boy."

...

Savoy smiled as the softness of the comm swirled around in his ears.

He'd been itching to kill something lately.

Clucking his tongue again, she shifted her gaze from the Spotter-Bot and then to her son, who was white-faced, sweaty, and smeared with dirt. The two behind him were frozen in waiting, watching to see what would happen. The only noise from them was a sniffle from the daughter and a squeak, with a little roughing from the dad as he tried to escape. He inhaled her scent...which was strangely like that indian coconut and nectar his sister used to smell like. He let it swirl around his senses before complying with the order. The barrel of the Baretta leveled at her boy, and he felt her weight drop as her knees buckled. He kept her by the hair and pulled her back up. The gun glinted against the sun and he smiled wickedly at the boy.

"Maybe you don't value your life, Mom," he whispered into her ear, "but maybe you value his." he gently began to squeeze the trigger and she screamed, reaching out for her son.

"No, no!" she dropped to her knees. She began to tremble vehemently now, tears streaking the dirt down her face. Merrick sobbed now, his wails ringing on the air. He could barely speak as he choked out broken sobs.

"M-Mo-Momma!" he wailed, "Momma!"

She whirled around on her knees, digging her fingers into the dirt as she stared up at him. "Please," she begged now, "please, no!" The agony in her voice and on her face made him briefly reconsider. No. No one had reconsidered for Angela when she was killed in Chicago. No one had consoled him. He approached the boy roughly and slammed the tip of the barrel against his forehead. "NO!" Mira screeched, lunging for him. He kicked a foot out and struck her in the jaw, knocking her backwards.

"Let him go!" Cade challenged angrily, "he's a kid!"

Savoy stared at the boy now, deep into the eyes, and saw anger residing in the boys soul. He'd stopped screaming now, only panting and gasping for air. He had a scowl on his face, but there was fear. Lots of fear. He challenged the boy, "You want to die, boy? Like your Dad? Huh?"

"Merrick," Mira turned serious now, her voice dangerously warning, "don't listen to him!" Savoy whipped a look at her and grabbed the boys chin, yanking him from the grip of his soldiers. He lifted up the child and turned to face her now, gun pressed against his temple. The child's body began to shake again, and his eyes were wide as he stared at his mother.

"Where is he, Lennox!" Savoy spat at her, leaning into her face, his finger just a tickle away from splattering the kid's brains on her, "Optimus Prime! _Where is he_!?"

"Please!" she begged, "Let him-"

"_Where is PRIME?!_

_..._

The barn, now eerily quiet, had been abandoned as soon as the man he'd rendered unconscious awoke.

Optimus had sheltered himself in the cellar beneath the barn's foundation-it was a hole, essentially dug into the earth for storage of grown goods like potatoes, carrots, and other plants which grew beneath the soil. It was cool, and smelled of earth-of peace, innocence. Light shown through the planks he'd situated above himself only barely, giving him pinpricks of dust and light. Optimus, as he rested in the soil, wondered briefly if this was what a grave was like-damp, cool, and quiet. He thought for a minute he must've died, because it was so quiet. And still.

Then he heard the gunshot.

Anger had exploded within him at the savages which would turn even against their own kind in search for him. How much blood had to be spilled? A sickening cold had situated over him as he listened and sounded off the names in his head as they spoke, making sure Mira-or Merrick-were still alive. Cade and Tessa had lived, as had Mira and Merrick. The man who'd been killed was Lucas, he recognized, and he closed his optics. He did not know the man, but felt sorrow for his friends and family. He'd vowed to grieve the innocent, and sat in silence.

Then there was a scuffle. Optimus used the Matrix to create a comm to Mira's emblem, then activated a visual link to behold the situation. It was difficult amidst the rough movement of her body to watch, but he managed, until she stilled. His sparkbeat picked up a bit when he beheld the boy, pinned against a tree, with two weapons he identified as familiar M16's nuzzled into either side of his skull. All he could hear was Mira screaming and sobbing for them to release him, her breathing so shallow and struggled she was gasping as if drowning in water. Panic had all but seized her now, and she wasn't thinking clearly.

He had to make a decision. Would he chance the man named James Savoy not killing Merrick and Mira? He couldn't even begin to chance it. He was in no real condition to fight these soldiers, who knew where to hit him and how to bring him down. It was an advanced plot, a trap to bring him out of hiding; Optimus knew Savoy knew he was here. Optimus also knew the man was playing Mira's motherly emotions to get his way, and Mira would not sacrifice her son. At least he hoped she wouldn't. Not for him. Not this way.

He checked his systems. He was barely retaining the strength to drive, much less fight. Activating his reserves, they came online and flashed a warning signal to him. He ignored it and readied his Path Blaster, then his Energon swords. His best attack would be to the eastern side of the barn, which headed around the house and towards the field. The house would give him some cover from their weapons, enough cover to change into his alternation mode and make a getaway, leading at least the choppers and the soldiers away from Mira and Merrick.

With a burst of energy and hope, he rose up from his grave, and blasted a hole into the eastern wall.

As he erupted from the barn, he left what remained of his shambles from Mexico in the grave.

...

Lockdown rolled to a stop beside the grain silo, scanning the area for any sign of threats. Really, what could humans possibly do to threaten him anyway? Activation his transformation cogs, he shed the form of the human Lamborghini and returned to his rightful Cybertronian bi-pedal.

He watched briefly as human sparklings-children, they called them-were surrounding a gravel field, some in red and others in yellow uniforms. A gate separated them from their parents, who sat on metal bars watching them stand there, one human in red holding an aluminum stick, standing awkwardly as a boy in yellow hurled a small, white object at him. The boy in red swung the stick, and sent the object flying through the air with a crack. The others scrambled, with some type of leather pockets in their hands, while the boy previously holding the stick dashed and slammed his foot on top a white box sticking up out of the gravel. An adult in white and black yelled 'safe!" as if the boy had been running from danger and the bystanders all began applauding. Lockdown ran a quick search on the situation and found the humans deemed the activity, which was an Earth sport, "baseball".

He rolled his optics and slammed a hand into the silo, crumpling the aluminum beneath his fingers. He gave a disgusted growl and pulled himself up the silo until one of the boys spotted him, yelled, and pointed. The others looked, and instantly they scattered and began screaming. A few whipped out their cell phones as if to report him, but he sent an EMP pulse out to their devices, shattering their hopes of interference.

Focusing his attention southwest, he traced the GPS signals of Attinger's men to the location where they'd received intell. He targeted the barn, where a strange signal interference interrupted his trace. It was undeniably weak and dwindling, and he realized it the Prime's energy signature. Chuckling , he activated the changing of his faceplates and began to position the sniper, locking on the barn. He was stopped, however, when he noted a stronger signature coming a bit towards the human residing place, and he hacked one of Attinger's Spotter-Bots and focused his attention on the signature.

It was coming from the human female, Mira. He spotted the Shield around her neck, gleaming beautifully-holding there so much more power than she could possibly imagine. He was taken aback that she broadcasted the device so blatantly in front of spectators. Humans.

Then, the energy signature from the barn switched over and surged. It instantly skyrocketed into a higher reading, Lockdown assuming it was reserve system power. So, Prime was on the edge that far, was he? That was fine-made for an easier takedown. Lockdown thought it unfitting a Prime would subject himself to defeat at such a state, but decided he didn't care.

Prime had nothing to prove anymore.


	11. Nine

**Chapter Nine**

**...**

The man named James Savoy was sweating now, spittle flying from his mouth and rage overtaking his eyes. His soldiers had never seen him this off the handle before. Mira, still in the dirt, was sobbing now, pleading with the man to release her baby, still unwilling to talk. Merrick was blubbering, petrified, clawing at the man's covered arm for release. Mira was trying to reach out to him, barely able to contain composure.

Tessa was on her side, begging to let the boy go. Mira silently cursed the girl, realizing she was the one who had endangered everyone-including Optimus. She wondered if her ally had successfully found cover, but realized he had when the soldiers had reported nothing as they hauled the blonde man-Lucas-into this insanity circle. At least he was safe in all of this. She wasn't concerned with Optimus however, when Savoy screamed above all their voices.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, popping off a round into the air. The shot silenced them all and rustled the trees above their heads. Merrick only whimpered now as the gun found its way back to his temple. Savoy glared at Mira now, listening to the comm in his ear. "One last time, Lennox. Where is Optimus Prime?"

Silence. Pure and innocent silence.

"Go to-"

Then there was a sickening explosion behind them all, followed by a rough impact, the sound of splintering wood and falling debris. Metal hit metal, there was a falling noise as the barn collapsed on itself, and the trees rustled furiously as the impact disrupted their rest. The force of the explosion knocked Savoy backwards, as well as his soldiers. Instantly the four civilians found themselves free. Mira flung herself at Merrick and covered his body as dirt and rocks scattered around them. Tessa's screams were shrill as a voice, a familiar voice, resonated on the air.

"Here I _am!" _Mira shot a look over her shoulder as gunfire exploded to life from the soldiers, now armed and in position. Optimus, raising a gun in their direction, fired off a shot a few yards from them and the impact sent them flying into the debris of the barn. Savoy, now completely occupied with the sight of the Autobot, screamed orders at his men. Merrick sat there beside Mira, mouth open and eyes wide. Mira pushed herself up with her arms, threw herself into a roll and picked up a weapon from a fallen, unconscious soldier. Arming the M16, she rolled over again and set the gun on the ground to steady her aim. She aimed for a soldier, preoccupied with Optimus as he made break for the south, and shot in in the leg. He screamed, grabbed at the back of his knee, and crumpled.

There was a hand on Mira's shoulder. "We gotta move!" It was Cade, and he looked up through the trees to see the chopper's moving in on Prime. Prime was growling and shouting, almost screaming at Mira now: "Miriam, _GET OUT OF HERE!" _He swatted at the choppers and moved towards the field, drawing the fire of the choppers, trucks, and men. Mira pushed herself up and grabbed Merrick's wrist, practically dragging him away from the front of the house.

There was a high-pitched whine, then a defeaning explosion as three rockets found their way into Optimus' shoulders. Mira screamed as she saw him fall, only for a moment, before getting back up and throwing himself into transformation. His alternation mode appeared and he took off down the driveway, the choppers and trucks following. Savoy was screaming now, and Mira tossed the M16 to Cade. He caught it, astoundingly, and she swiped a handgun from a fallen soldier, running with Merrick towards the truck.

"To the truck!" she ordered, "get to my truck!" The four of them hustled towards the awaiting Silverado. Cade, with the M16, hopped into the bed and lowered himself, popping off rounds at the soldiers now scrambling with their trucks to follow. Mira opened the driver's door, threw herself inside, and whipped the key forward. Tessa and Merrick hopped in as well, Merrick tumbling over the seats to the back. The truck roared to life, and Mira was about to throw it into park when a barrage of bullets, now coming from the house, erupted next to them. "DOWN!" she screamed.

Tessa and Merrick instinctively ducked. Tessa was screaming and crying now, and Mira looked up, leveling her gun towards the house. Quickly aiming, she returned fire with the Glock and then threw the truck into drive. Spinning out on the gravel, she checked the review to find Cade still returning fire from the bed. She roared down the driveway, and took off in the opposite direction Optimus had.

The cars went the other way behind them.

"Wait!" Tessa declared, "what about Optimus? We can't just leave him!"

Mira gunned the engine and swerved left to dodge a pot-hole, watching the review. No one in pursuit yet. "Yes, we can," Mira interjected, "Optimus is capable of taking care of himself." She untangled the Shield from her mess of curls and jiggled the key in the ignition loose. It dropped from its place, the truck still rolling on, and she leveled the Shield with the ignition. Passing her finger over the middle stone in the path of a cross, the Shield whirred and scanned the ignition. Eyes on the road, she leveled her palm as the Shield began to shift and turn, metal settling over metal, until it stopped in the shape of a high-modified key. Cade used the gun's butt end to shatter the glass of the truck, which was now littered with bullets, and slipped into the backseat. He looked to her palm and then Tessa.

"What's going on?"

Tessa said nothing. Mira glanced at him and then back to the road. "Hold on."

She slammed the Shield into the ignition and the entire vehicle began to shake. She released the wheel as it fought her grip, instantly shifting into auto-drive, as the interior of the car began to shift and move. The dash began to convert and upgrade, as did the petals on the floor. It roared on continually as the control dash before her turned digital. Instantly the RPM's vanished and the speedometer upkicked.

The windshield before them was no more. It was now a one-way computer control screen, much like you would find in the military, filled with controls and files and radar. It gave off energy readings, GPS, weapons system updates, system checks-everything you could imagine. Mira gestured for Tessa to move into the backseat as she scooted to the passenger side. Touching her thumb to the glass, the screen flickered and recognized her by name, allowing her complete access.

"Voice recognition," she commanded.

_"Voice recognition confirmed," _the system clarified.

Touching the screen, she brought up a GPS and reached into the right corner of the windshield, dragging down the file of her house and dropping it into the locator. It instantly recognized the address and the vehicle redirected itself, sharply cutting off the main road and into the field for a short-cut. "Open nearby energy signatures and locate," she ordered.

"_Energy signatures located," _the system declared, "_Autobot Commander Optimus Prime requesting communication link. Engage?"_

"Engage," she demanded again. Reaching to the left, Mira tapped the appearing box and it scanned her fingerprint again. Accepting the print, it flickered to life instantly. Releasing her fingers from the windshield, Mira then tapped the camera and another box appeared beside the first, showing her face. The other revealed nothing, only airwaves.

"Optimus," she began, "what's your position? Are you okay?"

The comm sputtered with static as if damaged. _**"Secure the line."**_

Mira nodded to herself and touched the windshield again, punching in a coded command. Instantly the line secured itself and began encrypting the file in deep Cybertronian binary. Tucking a loose curl behind her ear, she confirmed. "We're secure."

He sighed, "_**I am west of you, Mira; drawing the enemy to the outskirts of Paris. Rendezvous with me only at my request. What's your location?" **_She sent him the GPS reading. He did not sound pleased. _**"You are going home? Miriam, I don't think-"**_

"Optimus, we're clear here. No bogies anywhere. Besides, you'll thank me later," she tossed a look to the backseat where everyone was staring at her as if she'd sprouted wings and could fly. She furrowed her brow at them. Optimus asked the next question.

_**"Is everyone alright? No one is wounded?"**_

She nodded. "Present and accounted for," she reached behind her and tousled Merrick's hair. "I owe you, Optimus. You saved our lives."

_**"As is my duty, Mira. As long as you are safe. Rendezvous with me here," **_he sent the location in an encrypted link, which Mira began to decipher with the help of the Shield. _**"The Shield will direct you to the location. Do not hesitate to call me if you see anything unusual," **_he ordered, _**"and Mira. Do not engage anyone."**_

"Optimus," she began, matter-of-factly.

He was firm, _**"Miriam, I mean this. Do not engage anyone. This situation is far more dangerous than you may realize. I'm not requesting this of you. That is an order."**_

She frowned at him. "You don't trust me,"

_**"You know that is untrue. I trust you with my very spark. Just...do not engage anyone. Optimus out." **_The link cut out, and she whisked the box away into the system with a flick of her wrist. Sliding back over into the driver's side, Cade scrambled over to the seat and stared at her. She released the Shield from the ignition and instantly the car returned back into her Silverado. Grabbing the wheel, she spotted the outline of her house and steered the truck towards the property.

"You care to explain what's going on?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Now's not the time." A few moments later she parked the car in the driveway and grabbed the handgun. "Let's make this quick. In and out." All four doors of the truck opened and they bolted for the house. Mira twisted the knob and shoved the door open, flicking on the lights.

"Merrick," she knelt before the boy, who was obviously in shock, and grabbed his shoulders. "Merrick, honey, say something."

"Momma." was all he could manage. She sighed and pulled him into a hug, rubbed his back briefly, and then shoved him in the direction of his room. "Change your clothes." She followed in after him, and grabbed the backpack from the back of his door. Tessa and Cade followed her, Cade going to the window and scanning the skies.

Mira tossed in a clean pair of clothes and shoes for Merrick into the bag, followed by a hat and a toy. Then she grabbed a blanket and shoved the objects into his tiny arms and pointed towards the kitchen. "Go sit and wait for me," he nodded and left them. Mira then pointed at Cade and Tessa and gestured for them to follow into her room. "The best way to lose an enemy is to change your clothes and hair," she knelt before her bed and grabbed at the gym bags laying beneath it. Tossing them on the bed, she rose and approached her dresser. "Tessa, honey-"

"Mira," Tessa broke down sobbing again, "I didn't, I mean I didn't mean for-"

Mira touched her arm and stared her in the eye. "It's okay. You couldn't possibly know. It's done." she yanked open one of her drawers and grabbed the nearest shirt she could find. It was a grey t-shirt, and she handed it to Tessa. "It'll be too big, but it'll work. Go change and," she dashed into the closet and retrieved a pair of sneakers, "and please go sit with Merrick." Tessa nodded and left.

Mira then opened one of Will's drawers, where very few of his clothes remained. She pulled out a white v-neck and a jean button down and tossed them over to Cade. "For now," she stated. He began to take off his shirt, tossing the M16 on the bed and discarding his shirt on the floor. Feeling slightly uncomfortable seeing a man's chest that wasn't Will's, Mira closed the door to her closet and shedded her shirt and shorts. Hurrying to the back of the closet, she grabbed a pair of her army cargoes and slipped them on, followed by a black tank top. Removing her cowboy boots, she laced on her combat boots and reached for the rifle hidden in the corner of her closet. Slinging it over her shoulder, she grabbed the Nike bag from the top shelf and then turned to the other side of the closet. Spreading her clothes apart, she knelt and began twisting the combination of the fire-safe until it clicked open.

Reaching inside, she removed an emergency wallet and a file of her and Will's NEST paperwork. Stuffing them into the gym bag, she closed the safe and situated her clothes before it. Then, reaching on the top shelf again, she pulled down two red and white Eddie Bauer backpacks stashed with emergency blankets, first aides, water, food, and flashlights. The other was filled with ammo, knives, grenades, and walkies.

Slinging the gymbag over a shoulder, she opened the door and tossed a backpack to Cade. He caught it and strapped it on, and Mira stuffed the wallet into one of the pockets on her pants. She felt Cade's stare on her and she thought about Will, and how they'd went over this a thousand times. It seemed foreign, however, without him here.

"Who are you, exactly?" Cade asked again, leaning out the window to examine the skies. "I mean, you're not normal,"

Mira snorted. "I'll explain on the way," Grabbing the photo of her, Will and Merrick from the nightstand, as well as her NKJV, she kicked open the door gently and handed the Nike bag to Tessa. Tessa slung the bag over her shoulder and grabbed Merrick's hand, the three of them stopping in the kitchen as Mira opened the fridge.

"Take these," she pulled out two Gatorade's and handed one to both Cade and Tessa. She handed Merrick a juice box, and then pulled out another Gatorade for herself. "It takes the edge off." then she reached above the fridge and into the cupboard to withdraw a wooden box, given to her by Ratchet. Inside contained medication and Cybertronian injections. She pulled out a syringe and filled it. Motioning for Tessa to extend an arm, she injected the solution. "It's a Cybertronian form of adrenaline," she explained, "formulated for humans. It stops shock and restores electrolytes." she gave both Cade, Merrick, and herself a shot before stuffing the box into the backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. "Okay. Let's move."

As the three of them exited the house, she stopped at the security system. Removing the Shield from around her neck, she allowed it to scan the box and arm it. The entire perimeter around her property line would be secured now, and no one was getting in this house without the Shield. Satisfied, Mira clicked the door closed behind her and heard the system engage at the lock caught in place. Pointing towards the barn, her and Merrick led the way.

Mira shoved open the main door and light hit the room brightly. It struck the metal of two cars before glinting so brightly both Cade and Tessa had to look away. Mira opened the door to the first car and helped Merrick inside, then opened the trunk and stuffed the backpack inside. She gestured for Cade and Tessa to throw their bags to her. Once situated, she rounded the car to the driver's side and motioned for Tessa and Cade to enter.

It was a 1967 Pontiac GTO, with the standard 335. It was the convertible body, with the soft-top option. Will had ordered the car custom with a hotrod red body and silver trim. Sliding into the driver's seat, Tessa climbed into the back with Merrick and Cade took the passenger's seat. Slipping the ignition, the car roared to life and she slipped it into drive. Casting a look to the other car, she sighed. Hers was the 1981 Chevrolet Camaro, with the 350 V8 and cobalt blue and black trim. Her car since age 16, Will had restored it for her on their first wedding anniversary with his pension from NEST. Driving out of the barn, she roared down the driveway and headed towards Paris.


	12. Ten

_Author's Note: _It was brought to my attention that the previous upload of this chapter contained a detail error, I have successfully changed the problem and have now re-uploaded the chapter. Some changes, but not many. Thank you.

...

**Chapter Ten**

**...**

The tires of the dilapidated semi were dull and lacking tread, which made it difficult to maneuver on dirt. This difficulty resulted in what Optimus would call a few too many close calls, but he managed to lose two of the SUV's a few miles out of Paris. He realized they wouldn't be gone too long, but right now the choppers provided an aerial tactic that he wasn't up to competing with. If he could shake them off, then everything would be in the clear to meet up with Mira and plan their next move.

However, he wasn't _that_ lucky.

The bullets from the air ricocheted off his chassis and plunged themselves deep into the brick of the building to his left. Spinning his tires on the loose gravel, he slammed into the side of the building as he pulled a quick right and then a left, his back tire hitting the wall and trying to send his form whipping into the adjacent wall. If it would've been any other semi it would've succeeded and there it would've laid, but it was him and he corrected sharply, counterbalancing his weight and straightening his coarse. Checking the aerial's again, he pulled a quick left and checked the time.

It'd been twenty minutes since he'd last commed Mira, and he wouldn't chance a lock on the comm with the kind of technology these adversaries were hauling. It was an advanced type of system they were using, one he recognized from NEST, but extremely advanced and upgraded since his time with the military. Optimus wondered how these men-"Cemetery Wind" they called themselves-had been able to arm themselves so advanced without help from either a Decepticon or an Autobot traitor. As far as he knew every Autobot had been in hiding, and no one had surrendered to the humans.

But, he wasn't God, and he didn't know everything.

Mapping his location, he noted that two miles away there was an abandoned feed processing plant long since left and haunted by memories and former glory. It was big enough to house him if necessary; if only to provide cover so he could replenish his reserves and run a nannite repair program. It was purely concrete, which would hide his energy signature if he scrambled it and encrypted it enough. Directing himself towards the location, he swerved into an alley to right to evade gunfire. He positioned the review to see the bullets send a red Honda careening into a nearby store. He scanned the scenario and found the human to be alive, fleeing the scene with a broken shoulder. Relieved, he activated his defense systems and showed his Path Blaster, which appeared from beneath his passenger side fender. Aiming at one of the choppers, he activated the firing systems and let loose a barrage on the flying machinery. A few bounced off a building, but most of them hit home on the underbelly of the Huey. It threw the machine off course only briefly, but the pilot corrected and stayed his course, Optimus noting the other from the south.

Careening left, he headed out of town towards the feed mill.

...

Mira threw the steering wheel a sharp left, dodging incoming traffic on the outskirts of Paris. Forgetting the turn signal, she slammed the accelerator and made her way onto the exit ramp, marked Broadway Avenue, and roared between and VW bug and Ford Focus before making the sharp left turn. Tessa, Merrick, and Cade braced themselves in every area of GTO before Merrick declared rather loudly.

"Momma! Be CAREFUL!" he hollared, "You're gunna smash us!"

She checked the rearview. "I will do nothing of the sort," she stated romantically, "just...hold on!" she jerked the wheel right as Cade lunged for it to dodge a bicyclist biking on the wrong side of the road. Slamming the accelerator, she felt her phone go off in her pocket. Digging it out, she tossed it at Cade. "Look at that for me, will you? It's Optimus."

Cade just stared at her, "Not until you tell me what's going on!" he declared, challenging and almost tossing the phone onto the dash. "I think we deserve a bit-"

"You deserve nothing," Mira snapped, "and since you are bystander's in this situation, it's best you know nothing of the matter. Considering Cemetery Wind is after Optimus, the situation has reached a high-profiling security alert," she had lost them in her military schpeel she realized, and groaned as she exited the main street, Cade giving her a 'yeah right' look, "Now is not the time,"

"Now is the perfect time!" Cade countered,

Tessa interjected by popping her head between the two of them. "I hate to say this," she moved the rearview so Mira could glance back, "but we've got company!"

Mira released the wheel with one hand and steadied the mirror, "Unmerciful Primus!" she cursed, slamming the key back into the ignition. The Shield began to shift again, and she voice commanded the vehicle to auto-drive. It recognized the command and shifted into an appropriate gear, stabilizing the transmission and engine before correcting itself. Mira reached past Cade to the floorboards of his side of the muscle car and wrapped her hand around the .50, "stay _down!" _She pushed Merrick to the floorboards, turned to face the back of the GTO, and positioned herself on her knees in the front seat. Shoulders shrugging, she squinted her eyes closed, and after hecking the magazine, she flipped the gun in her grip and used the butt end to smash the back window.

"I'm sorry, babe." she whispered, glancing at the ring on her thumb.

Tessa screamed and covered her head as glass danced around them in a shattering song before there was quiet. Mira used the seat to stabilize her aim as she lined up the incoming SUV, which was dodging around civilian vehicles, in the crosshairs of her scope.

"Check the message!" she hollared to Cade, snapping the trigger back with her forefinger. The rifle spit to life, popping off rounds and sending Tessa and Merrick into a screaming fit of panic. The gunfire danced off the front of the SUV as Mira lowered herself behind the seat as they returned fire a moment. Only when they stopped did she right herself and aim again.

"Okay, okay!" Cade cried, lunging for the phone on the dash. The Pontiac swerved a hard right and then left, sending its passengers flailing inside. Mira toppled onto Cade's body, their faces inches from each other's, before she pushed herself off him and gripped the .50 again. Cade reached for the phone and it slipped again, this time making a break for the window. "No!" Cade went after the phone.

"_Dad!" _Tessa screeched. Cade's upper body went flying out the window before Mira reached out to grab him, before his entire body proceeded after the phone. She grabbed his back pockets and shoved him back into the car.

More gunfire this time. Everyone ducked as the GTO corrected again sharply. Tessa was screaming and Merrick was crying again. Mira situated herself back at the .50 when Cade shoved her out of the way and thrust the phone into her hands. "You do this, and I'll shoot!"

She snatched the phone and punched the number's to her code, releasing the phone's security features. Sliding back over into the driver's side, she glanced at the message, heavily encrypted in Cybertronian. Sighing and cursing Optimus briefly, she pressed the phone into the glass windshield and instantly the See-All awakened to life. The system instantly began scanning the phone and unlocked the code. Translating, she read the message.

_**Hayson's Feed Mill and Processing Plant-east side. **_

She nodded to herself, "Where's the old Mill from here?" she yelled to Cade, who was busy returning fire to the swerving SUV, which was gaining ground. She noticed another one coming up behind them and she spun around, pointing to the Nike bag. Merrick sat trembling and looked up at her.

"I think it's west!" Cade returned.

Merrick squeaked, "Momma, what's-"

She stopped him, "Unzip that bag for me and hand me one of those grenades," she said quickly. He looked at her strangely, until she frowned at him, "Do, it, Merrick!" he instantly sprang into action and handed the device to her, little hands trembling.

She tucked the phone between the seats of the car and knocked out the glass of the driver's window with her elbow. Plucking the handgun from the floorboards of the driver's side, she leaned out the window and seated her butt on the ledge, lifting her left leg to press against the doorframe to provide herself leverage and stabilization. She aimed at the glass of the SUV, then double guessed herself and changed to the tires. Popping off a few rounds, they spit into the pavement just before the SUV, which rolled over the marks. Groaning, she tossed the handgun back onto the floorboards and pulled the pin.

"_DOWN!_" she screeched. Throwing herself into the truck and to the boards, she pressed her hands against the accelerator. The GTO whined and sped on, careening as Cade's body hovered over hers on the seat. His hand pressed her head to the boards, as the explosion behind them boomed with revenge and sent the truck flying forwards with the aftermath. The Shield corrected, the car braking slightly and the back end fishtailing wildly. almost throwing them into a tailspin. Cade returned to the .50, and Mira lunged for the phone and pressed the emergency dialer.

Mira realized these guys were able to get any and every piece of info on her possibly available. She needed someone to cover her tracks, someone to make her and Merrick disappear entirely. Their names needed wiped off the face of the planet, and it needed to happen now. There was only one person she trusted with such a task, and that person was her own flesh and blood brother, Bryce Savage. He, the only one left outside of NEST untouched and safe, could wipe her and Merrick out, just like he had himself from the system. He'd managed to keep himself-and another valuable member of the NEST squad-out of sight and mind for the past three years since NEST disbanded.

She punched in the number of her brother, and pressed the phone to her ear. Cade was still returning fire, Will's Pontiac long since awarding itself the opportunity of target practice. As the phone continued to dial, she began punching in the location for the feed mill into the GPS system of the Shield's positioning request. Instantly it recognized and routed the best possible way to the mill. Accepting the route, the truck corrected severely, tossing her against the door. Finally the call connected.

_"Hey, Mare," _the familiar baritone of her brother chirped, followed only by the rapid clicking of computer keys, _"how's it been?"_

"Bryce!" she gasped, "I need you-whoa!" the GTO went to go off-road now, plunging over a curb and dipping into a highway separation. It trekked up the small incline and cut through traffic, which was now screeching and honking out of the way, and crashed into a median. The transmission whined and shifted as the Shield initiated strengthening protocols, sending the vehicle motoring on as if it were the apocalyptic vehicle of a lifetime. She listened to the metal crunch and scape, and she winced. "Come on!" she pounded the hood, "-I need you to initiate the Crosswind Protocols!" she grabbed the wheel and tried to swerve left, but it was rock solid.

"_Crosswinds? Mare, that's-"_

She practically screamed now, "Do it, I don't have time!"

There was a familiar clicking and beeping now, one she recognized but chose not to acknowledge. Bryce, however, acknowledged and responded hushedly over the line before returning to her. "_Are you okay? What's happening? Has P-"_

"Just, do it!" she hollared, and ended the call. She trusted him to trust her on this and initiate the protocols.

The mill was in sight now, and the SUV was still gaining-the other obviously ended by her grenade. Cade was consistently returning fire which connected with the SUV, having knocked out the windshield and most of the hood of the vehicle. Merrick was quiet, Mira hoping Ratchet's inoculation was keeping him somewhat shock-resistant. Mira began positioning herself to locate Prime's energy signature when gunfire rittled the back end of the GTO, popping the glass from the passenger's window of the backseat next to Merrick. She screamed and covered her face, ducking below the window the shelter herself with the door.

The GTO turned left, down an alleyway. Slender enough to fit in the tight spot, it left the bulky SUV behind and scrambling for another route. Realizing they had some ground now, she looked to the sky were chopper's were circling the building.

Then, there was flashing warnings on the windshield as Mira spotted the huge piece of building smash down in front of them.

The Shield provided immensely strong breaking, sending the tires slamming to a stop and skidding across the pavement. The car caught momentum and tried to whip into the wall, but the Shield inoculated the affect. Cade's body was flung forward, but the Shield activated the airbag system which kept him from slamming into the windshield. The .50 rammed into his chest, and he groaned. Mira's head would've cracked into the steering wheel if the airbag hadn't deployed.

They were still a moment before she tore the airbag away from her and out the window, whipping around to see Merrick. He was pressed against the seat, trembling and heaving into the floorboards. The smell of warm vomit overtook the car and Mira grabbed the Nike bag. Tessa touched her head, where a nice gash had formed across her temple. It wasn't bad enough for Mira to patch right away, and she popped the latch to the driver's side door. Slipping out, she forced the seat forward. Glancing at the now thoroughly totaled body of her car, she slammed a fist on the hood and kicked the front tire. Will would've killed her.

"What happened?" Cade asked, scrambling out from his side. Both of them helped the children out of the car, Cade strapping the .50 around himself now. He thrust one of the Bauer emergency kits into Tessa's arms, which she strapped on. Mira took the other and shouldered it, along with the Nike bag, and Merrick shouldered his own pack. Gripping his hand tightly, she reached over the steering column for the Shield and plucked it from the ignition and forced it over her head, where it dropped into its rightful place around her neck and fell back into its original form. Next she grabbed the Glock and stuffed it into the front of her cargoes. The four of them met at the back of the Pontiac.

They all stopped when they noticed the ground shaking beneath them ever so daintilly. Mira furrowed her brow and looked to the massive piece of building before the vehicle, and then looked up. A huge piece of wall was missing, and there was a heavy sound of thunking and thumping coming directly west of them. She heard a groan and then a sharp cry, followed by the ground's shaking turning noticeable. Then, she looked to the adjacent wall and found a shadow rapidly growing in size.

"Run!" she cried, as she jerked Merrick along, bursting into a sprint.

...

Optimus had found only a moment's peace before he found himself face-to-face with a sharp looking Lamborghini, one that carried a presence almost as demanding as Megatron's. This presence, he noticed, was not that of a Decepticon aura-if that had been the case he would've engaged him already. No, this presence was one of a deceptively peaceful aura, one that could only belong to the very scum of the universe; a presence he had crossed paths with only once before. The Council-and those gone before him-had warned him of these traitors; these Neutral's who were rebellious and prideful enough not to allege themselves with either side of the Great War.

This Neutral, perhaps the most famous and devious of the breed, was Lockdown.

His reputation preceeded him like a long trail of stars; dazzling only enough to captivate its prey before slaughtering it in cold blood. Lockdown was known for his tactics, and his bounty, one so amazingly vast and eccentric it would make Iacon's armory look like a playground. Lockdown was as devious as Megatron himself; warring the universe only for those with the deepest pockets willing to pay whatever price he set. Optimus knew him as a mercenary, perhaps the best of Cybertron, and had never encountered him long enough to concern. But, he realized, today was the day he would concern himself with Lockdown.

The day, he realized, he would have to battle for his life.

Lockdown had attacked first, silently. He said nothing, only threw his form at Optimus like a being with the force of Cybertronian blood and speed. His form changed almost instantly in mid-air, and he slammed down on Optimus as if he were nothing but a landing pad. Optimus had reversed gears so quickly it send Lockdown flying off the receiving end of his form, onto the pavement where Optimus rolled over him with the entirety of his form. Instantly throwing himself around, Optimus activated his cogs and threw himself into a transformation. He got halfway when a barrag of gunfire pounded his armor.

He reconsidered, throwing his now fully changed form behind a cement pillar. His systems onlined fully and he activated his blaster, throwing himself from the pillar to return fire. He shot off a few rounds before he made his way to the edge of the parking ramp. Prime threw himself over the edge and pounded into the earth before Lockdown followed behind.

"So, Optimus, we meet again!" Lockdown challenged savagely behind him, "And you run from me as if you weren't so privileged to have the opportunity," They were still now, Prime's back still towards the mercenary, who chuckled. "You've...grown _decrepit _since our last engagement."

"It's is not a privilege to engage the past, Lockdown," Optimus glanced over his shoulder, "and you may keep your comments to yourself!" He whipped around and challenged a shot to Lockdown, where he rolled swiftly away from the blast which rested in the side of the parking ramp.

Optimus approached one of the abandoned packaging buildings and slammed a fist into the brick, hauling himself up roughly until he reached the roof. Lockdown was swift to follow as Optimus faced him, realizing Lockdown was going to do this the old-fashioned way. Optimus had long-since sworn off the art of hand-to-hand, much preferring to do things with weapons rather than fists, but he decided to disengage himself with his desires to resort his tactics to that of one more devious than himself. To kill a mercenary, he noted, you had to think like one.

Lockdown fisted his hands. "I'm not going to kill you," he growled, "as much as I'd like to. It seems the last Prime yields a much...loftier calling, I'm afraid," he sighed dramatically now, "surrender now and you'll save yourself a world of hurt."

Optimus slid his battle mask into place with a swift click. Narrowing his optic ridges, he positioned himself. "I'll take my chances." Then, he raised his fist and slammed it into the roof, cracking the cement and beams beneath it with such force it sent them falling downward into the building. The cement mixed with their forms rattled the air with heavy debris, with so much noise following it would've made a lesser man deaf. But, accustomed to such chaos, both mechs charged one another and slammed their fists into the other's with a resounding crack.

Optimus noted a speeding muscle car pass by one of the windows, and he scanned it quickly. The VIN matched and brought up the ownership record, and Optimus realized it was Mira and the other three. His spark panicked only a moment as he listened to a piece of the building crash into the ground. Distracted, he looked away only when Lockdown's foot slammed into his faceplating, sending him flying through the air and slamming into a support beam. It crumpled, and Optimus pushed himself away as the beam brought down a part of the northern ceiling. A huge piece crashed into his shoulders, but he shook it off as Lockdown came at him again. He heard, distantly, the car's brakes engage and the horrible sound of screeching rubber on asphalt as the Pontiac GTO came to a halt. When he heard no crashing metal besides Lockdown's fist crashing into his arm, he rested in the knowledge they had successfully yielded the debris.

He then could engage Lockdown.

...

Debris continued to rain down around them as Mira, Cade, Tessa, and Merrick raced down the alley between the two mill buildings, away from the GTO. Their supplies made it difficult to maintain speed, but Mira surmised that adrenaline would make up for lost strength. Jerking left, she stopped abruptly and pulled Merrick into her body, shielding him with another as she reached for the doorknob resting on an exit door marked Emergency Exit. Twisting it, it protested by not moving. Tugging the Glock from her waistline, she aimed and covered Merrick's face with her hand and shot the lock with a pop. It exploded briefly, but then clicked open in defeat, and Cade shouldered past her and slammed it open with his body. Stumbling through, Tessa followed as Mira shoved Merrick into the doorframe. She brought the gun up and scanned their flank, before successfully closing the door. She screamed and lunged for Merrick as a chunk of ceiling let loose from above them.

Cade beat her to him and threw his body towards the boy, tackling him roughly and sending them both flying roughly two feet from their previous location. The ceiling hit the floor with a resounding clunk, sending Tessa into a screeching fit, pointing upward. She fell to her knees as two sharp blue eyes stared at them, arrogantly scowling. Mira gasped as a huge hand wrapped its fingers around the bot's head, pulling him up and tossing him like a ragdoll. Instantly the familiar face stared down at her.

"Mira!" It was Optimus, and he looked away for an instantly, only to duck a blow from the other mech, "Get out of here!"

"Optimus!" she cried, Cade grabbing her shoulder, holding forcefully onto Merrick's wrist as Tessa ran to him. All four of them looked up as Optimus engaged the other Cybertronian in hand-to-hand. He successfully slammed his fist into the bot's jawline, sending him stumbling backwards out of view of the hole in the ceiling. Debris continued to fall as the two's massive weight gave way into the ceiling below them.

"Go!" he demanded.

Without hesitation, Cade pulled her towards the door again. They all scrambled through and dashed left, around the building and towards the parking lot of the mill. There was an eruption of cries, moans, groans, and exploding brick and mortar as Prime and the other mech's body came tumbling out of the tumbling, tossing brick and chunks of debris at them as if they were sponges. Mira and Cade threw the children under them and hit the ground, Mira realizing Cade's body covered not only Tessa, but her own. She felt his heart hammer against her shoulders as she looked up and pushed herself up with her arms. The parking lot was empty, just ten yards from them. Grabbing Tessa's wrist, she pulled the girl forward to catch up with the already bursting Cade and Merrick and dared them forward.

Optimus was fleeing the scene now, the other stranger throwing himself into transformation. Mira watched as he took form of a Lamborghini, and dashed in the opposite direction of Prime with a squeal of tires and cloud of exhaust. Optimus had rounded the corner, as she and the others came to a stop in the middle of the parking lot. Guessing Prime was just north of them, she burst into a run to the left, towards the loading docks of the mill where she guessed Prime was headed. The other's followed.

"Going somewhere, pretty?" The four of them skidded to a stop as the voice resounded on the air behind them. They turned around to see the other mech, standing across the lot from them, raise an arm with a grenade-looking weapon in his right hand. He stared squarely at Mira, his optics piercing her into her soul. She knew he was talking to her, and she broke eye contact to look at the grenade.

Then there was the squealing of tires, kicking up of pebbles, and blasting of an air horn. Optimus spun a cookie and whipped open his driver's door to receive them, laying on the horn continually. Cade, Merrick, and Tessa took off for the truck, and Mira tossed a look over her shoulder to the bot. She swallowed thickly and stared at him. He watched the others run for the truck and gave her what looked like a smirk before turning his back on her. Glancing slightly over his shoulder, he tossed the grenade of his shoulder and Mira took off.

The explosion was deafening, and shook the ground forcefully. Mira stumbled forward and watched as Cade hauled Merrick into the cab of the truck. The ground continued to tremble, and suddenly groaned beneath her, and she kicked up her pace and now mad-dashed for Optimus' awaiting form. There was an intense heat licking up the air behind her, and she listened as buildings began crashing down yards behind her. Tessa was pointing and screaming, and Cade was hollaring for her to hurry. Merrick was sobbing and shaking almost uncontrollably, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear, awakening, and shock. Optimus was still laying on the blasted horn, and she threw herself at the truck, where Cade's hand clasped around her wrist and hauled her up. Optimus was already gone, tires smoking as his form practically flew out of the loading bay. Mira looked in the direction which she'd come to see hell-or what she assumed to look like hell-overtake the parking lot and buildings. Fire, smoke, debris, and molten debris encased the area, and she spotted the Lamborghini sitting peaceably before the mess, watching them.

All four of them fell against the bench seat of Prime's form and Mira grabbed Merrick, pulling him close and burying her nose into his hair. She breathed him in, and then tossed a look to the windshield of the truck.

"What is going on?" Cade demanded.

The truck shifted gears and Optimus let out a sigh as he released air from his brakes. Mira allowed Merrick to lay his head on her lap, the boy trembling and tense. She closed her eyes and pushed up her glasses. "I'm afraid it's a long story,"

"We've got time."


	13. Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

**...**

James was never one to admit failure.

Actually, he'd been pretty successful in his career. He loved what he did, and he did it with a vengeance that would've put Hilter's holocaust to shame. He'd paid his dues, crawled up from the miry lower-ranks and put himself in a position of power for the ones he worked for. He worked a task and worked it hard...shirking was not even a word he could spell. He did his job, signed his name on it. He took his job so seriously, in fact, you could say his very life hung in the balance of the success.

So, essentially, he might've been dead as Attinger was screaming fury at him and damning him to hell for losing the girl, the Prime, and the Shield. Really this was a triple failure, because James did not do package deals. Everything was its own job, its own target. All three of those things were individual missions, and he'd failed every last one. Every. Freakin'. Last. One.

Only when Attinger took off his suit jacket and whipped it-literally whipped the material-into the dirt before his feet did James slide his glasses down his nose and look up over the rims, giving his best "you-really-did-just-do-that, you-must-be-upset" look. Attinger glared bullets at him and he slid the glasses up onto his head, rubbing his jawline carefully.

"...I should kill you for this," Attinger growled.

James shrugged. "Go ahead. I have no plans tomorrow."

Attinger's brows rose. "Do you have any idea where they are going?" He picked up the jacket and they walked over to his Audi, Attinger a storming mess and James just strolling casually, thinking, buying time. He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "...of _course _you don't."

"Where's she gunna go?" James challenged quietly, "she has no life. Neither does the guy. We've got everything on them. They can't hide anywhere."

This threw Attinger into a rageful fit. He instantly whirled around and grabbed an unsuspecting James by the collar of his jacket, pulled a Glock from the back of his pants, and shoved it under James' chin. He would've widened his eyes if he were a lesser man, perhaps even began to beg for mercy, but he wasn't a lesser man. He just stared at Attinger expectantly as the man growled almost demonically at him, "She's _NEST_, Savoy! _Freakin'_ NEST. She knows how to hide...her mentor is a freakin' _TRANSFORMER_ for God sakes!" Savoy looked at his trigger finger, which was just twitching to flick the trigger, but remained restrained, "Lennox knows how to hide. She's been doing it for years, and she'll continue to do it. She'll run circles around us if we don't keep up with her," he roughly pulled the Glock away and shoved James away from him, "so _keep up with her."_

James nodded, straightened his collar, and approached one of the field SUV's, the one which had apparently survived the run-down against Lennox's GTO. He stopped when he felt Attinger stare holes into the back of his head and glanced over his shoulder at the man. For a brief moment they were silent, until Attinger tossed the Glock into the Audi and threw himself inside, slamming the door a bit roughly before spinning out and heading back, he suspected, to the airport. Pulling his cuff to his mouth, he whispered into the piece and ordered the men to search the GTO, if there was anything left.

...

The highway continued to roll beneath them at a pretty good pace, but at much cost. Mira noted the overly shaky cab of the semi; and not only was it shaking, it was falling apart. The dash was missing lights and foggy from trapped moisture, the headliner was practically shredded beyond hope, the floor had holes beginning to fall through from rust and the windows were cloudy. Sun had sucked the once vibrant leather dry on the dash, leaving it cracked and pitiful, and the seats were tattered, faded, and...loose.

Cade and Tessa were awaiting her reply, she realized. What would she say to them? Could she really lie to these people, these bystander's who had witnessed the darkest secrets of her past? Freedom was their right; and trust was a freedom they so deserved, even if it was a stretch. Exhaling, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and then bent to kiss Merrick's cheek, him sleeping soundly despite the action. She guessed it was Ratchet's inoculation. Touching the steering wheel, she wrapped her hand around it tightly and closed her eyes. "Do we dare, my friend?" She asked quietly.

"There is no other way," he said strongly, "to tell what is to be said besides in a way of truth." There was a soft click and the windshield converted to the See-All screen, Optimus bringing up files and photos and logs dated years in the past. Memories began to flash to life in Mira's head. Her chest suddenly began to burn with pain as those memories flooded her being, reminding her of times of unity and peace between humans and Autobots. Tears swelled in her eyes when she saw Ratchet's face, Ironhide's entries, and Jazz's transmissions. She had to look away.

She saw herself in many of these photos and entries. Mira had never realized to stop and examine how much time she spent with Optimus and his team, and now she noticed it was exorbitant. She was practically in every photo Optimus had taken and logged, in almost every briefing roster and log entry. Mira had never meant to consume Prime's very life; she wondered instantly if he'd ever tired of her presence. She had certainly never tired of his. A pang of guilt robbed her of sanity a moment, before Cade and Tessa's stare caught her attention fully.

"Years ago," Optimus began quietly, "my people and I arrived on this planet in search of an artifact lost to my kind in a Great War, which ravaged our planet. I dispelled it into the stars for safekeeping, and your planet housed it for many, many years," he brought up a photograph of the Allspark, now lost to the universe at the hand of Megatron. "Upon our arrival we were in search of a Samuel Witwicky, whom would become a trusted ally and friend."

Cade and Tessa followed the photograph with their eyes before Tessa interjected, "So where is Sam now?"

"Sam, last we knew," Mira decided to jut in on this conversation, "joined the WPP-or the witness protection program. He disavowed any involvement with the Autobots." She looked away. "We have no idea where, or who, Sam is."

Cade nodded. "Okay. Where do you come in?" He pointed at her and then the screen, "'cause you must've been mixed in with all of this, right? The Autobots weren't looking for you...right?"

Mira nodded and Optimus continued, "That is correct," he showed a picture of Mira, the day she had met him and his team in Mission City. "Mira was a civilian who offered her services unto our human allies during our search for the Allspark. She provided medical care and housing for Sam and another human friend, Mikaela. After her original invovlement-"

"-there was no turning back," Mira chuckled.

Optimus, if it was even possible, let out a small chuckle as well. "Yes. Mira became a trusted ally unto myself, and my team. We became dependent on her when Sam resumed his civilian life as a son, and student. She took on the responsibility of explaining to us human culture, and customs. Through Mira's education, we became familiar with human tradition, ritual, and their practices." Cade and Tessa shared a look for a moment, and then Tessa interjected.

"So...the government just let you stay with them?" she sounded disbelieving, "You were a civilian, right? How did that happen?"

Mira nodded her understanding, "After the battle in Mission City with Megatron and the Decepticons, the government allied itself with Optimus and his Autobots, in an organization we deemed NEST Ops. Anyone previously involved with the Autobots was grandfathered in, or requested. We had the choice to refuse, and with that refusal, forfeit any associations with the Autobots and their war," she looked to the screen, "...which I, and my late husband, William, refused to give up. We became soldiers of NEST. My husband would become a Major. I became a Commander, only because of this," she pulled the Shield out from behind her shirt, "...the Shield."

"Shield?" Cade wrinkled his brow, "What is that?"

Optimus picked up, "the Shield of the Matrix of Leadership is a part of the device given to the Prime's by Primus, our Creator," he continued, "It is a piece able to be detached from the Matrix, given to only a trusted soldier of the carrier of the Matrix-myself," he said quietly, "I became Mira's guardian shortly after the Mission City war, and a bond grew between us."

Mira smiled. She looked to Cade, who did not look at all pleased about the arrangement. She wondered why when he asked the next question. "Guardian?"

"A guardian," Optimus explained, "is precisely what the name suggests. Our sparks are designed to protect a life besides our own," the RPM's dropped as he downshifted a gear and began to slow slightly, "it is much like the idea of a husband protecting a wife, or a father a child. Each of my people are designed with this desire. While Autobots strive to nurture life and protect it, this guardianship a deeper manifestation of that duty."

"So it's special," Tessa finished, piecing the information together. "Sort of like blood."

Mira nodded. "Yes. Guardianship can be awarded only to one individual person in an Autobot's lifetime," she smiled, "and the spark chooses the person, much like a heart would choose someone to love."

There was a quite a moment as Cade sat back in the seat, crossed his arms over his chest, and rubbed his jawline, "Alright, sure. But how does the spark know for sure you're the person? Can't it choose between others?"

Optimus disengaged the See-All screen. "No," he answered, "a spark can choose one being, and one being only. It codes itself to that person in a way that is unique to the individual," Mira nodded in agreement and extended her hands to Cade and Tessa.

"Like a fingerprint. It's unique to one person, right? So," she shrugged a shoulder, "my fingerprint is coded to Optimus' spark. It knows who I am by my blood, touch, voice, everything."

Tessa's eyes widened. "And that's how you got the Shield?"

Mira nodded. "Yes."

"I entrusted the Shield to Mira after she coded herself to me for my guardianship," he said, "and since the Shield is part of the Matrix-"

"-the Shield knows who you are," Cade sat up and looked at the device around her neck. He reached out to touch it and rested it in his palm. He gazed upon it as if it were the very essence of life itself, and Mira wondered briefly if he was going to rip it from her neck. There was silence between the members of the cab a moment before he confirmed, "and that's how you were able to command it in the GTO?"

Mira nodded.

"So you're alot like a celebrity, or a VIP," Tessa said lightly, "that's cool."

Mira shook her head. "Don't misunderstand," she said solidly, "I am as much a soldier as the next man. Just because Optimus is my guardian means nothing to my rank."

Optimus corrected her sternly, "That is your understanding, Mira. To others it is not quite," he sighed, "you are much like a Lieutenant to me in the decisions that I make, Mira, whether you would agree or not is your decision. Just as Starscream is to Megatron, you are to me. You are essentially a right hand. I've told you this."

"...and I refuse to believe it, again. As I've said before, Optimus, I am your friend before your soldier. I don't want to make decisions, I want to learn."

"Be that as it may, Mira," he said forcefully, "you are what you are. My spark has chosen you for such a position, and you accepted that position the day you agreed to my Guardianship. Fate has chosen you to lead, and lead you have."

Then there was silence.

It was a long drive in silence, Optimus rolling on through the hours as day drifted into evening. Merrick slept soundly, snoring slightly on her lap until her legs went so numb she couldn't feel them anymore. Everyone was left to their own thoughts until Tessa broke the silence with a soft whimper and a sniffle.

"Lucas. Dad," she touched his arm and looked up to him with wet eyes. "He's..."

Mira looked away as Cade wrapped an arm around Tessa's shoulder and pulled her close, "he's gone, baby."

She whimpered again and rested her head on his shoulder. Mira looked to the rearview, which shifted slightly to focus on her face, and she looked away upon recognizing her own eyes. Resting an elbow on the edge of the window, she laid her head against her hand and watched the miles of road stretched before them. The highway rolled on and on, beneath the tires, threatening her sanity. The mustiness of the cab was overwhelming, almost as overwhelming as her thoughts.

Her life as she knew it was over. Again. Mira had thought upon NEST's disbanding that she and Will could've started a normal life together-a ranch, in Texas, with miles and miles of land in any direction under their names. They could have children-lots of children, and be happy. Be the happy American family girls dreamt of as children. That reality had started, when she had Merrick, but ended the week she walked back through the NEST doors with a newborn baby, sore abdomen, and an overly protective husband. Her perfect dream had ended when she left her toddler with a babysitter to attend the final debriefing of NEST. It had ended when she had to leave her son with her parents in Minneapolis to be hauled of for refocusing in the Mediterranean.

It was happening all over again. The battles, the fighting. As much as she missed those days of spending weeks at base with the Autobots going on missions and learning and teaching, she didn't want death. Disunity. Destruction. She wanted peace between these beings and her kind, the trade of knowledge for knowledge and friendship for friendship. She didn't want the Decepticons, coming in with guns blazing to end the world and send the Earth spinning wildly out of control.

But, she realized, the threat wasn't the Decepticons. It was the very people she wanted to see unite with the Autobots again. A deceived people who believed whatever the government told them to believe, based on the fear and hopelessness the Chicago War had left behind. They believed what the past provided, they believed what the gravestones of their loved ones read. Her people believed what the papers-manipulated by Cemetery Wind-printed. They had lost imagination and hope, and now clawed their way back into survival by shoving away those who could perhaps change the very world with their understanding of technology, science, and survival. They had initiated a war with the Autobots, a war they were very well prepared to fight.

Mira hadn't realized in her thoughts that Optimus had slowed, initiated a turn signal, and pulled off the highway. She perked up as his form bobbed through potholes and along bumps of a gravel parking lot, out in the middle of where she assumed was still Texas desert. He stopped, flashed his lights on a very small, abandoned building, and opened the doors for them gently. Fresh air exploded in the cab, and Tessa scrambled out and Cade dropped to the dirt behind her solidly. He hustled around to cab and stopped Mira from exiting by pulling himself up next to her with the steering wheel. He dipped a hand under Merrick's body, his fingers tickling her thighs innocently, and lifted the boy carefully with a thick arm. He smiled at her and whispered, "I got this."

She smiled at him appreciatively. "Thanks," dropping out of the cab, she flipped the seat forward and removed their supplies. Setting them against the wall of the building, she watched Cade expertly situate Merrick on his hip, the boy slowly awakening into a groggy monster as he wrapped his arms around Cade's neck and nuzzled his face into Cade's shoulder.

Optimus closed his doors with a thump and released the air from his brakes, and then his form split apart into a thousand different directions and sections. They began shifting and turning over themselves in a myriad of technology and science, folding and disappearing with different thunks, clicks, scrapes, and drops. Soon his legs appeared, followed by his engine block dropping into place at his chest, and then two arms stretched towards them and pounded dramatically into the earth, supporting his frame. His faceplates slid into place and he stood before them.

"Much has happened today." He said quietly, looking away from them. He gave his attention back to Mira and nodded to her. Pain struck forth in his optics, and Mira hung her head. She knew exactly what he was talking about; there had been an innocent life snatched at the hand of war and survival again, and they both looked to Cade and Tessa. Optimus dipped his head to them, then shared a look with Mira. "Miriam and I express our deepest condolences for your loss."

Tessa looked away and Cade just stared up at Optimus, a look of strength and almost defiance in his eyes. He held Merrick protectively, instinctively, but said nothing. Optimus looked to the east and then back at them. "I trust Miriam to see to your safety when I am gone to establish a perimeter and make sure we were not followed." he looked to her. "Be safe, be smart. I will keep my line open."

She nodded. "Of course." Approaching him, she placed a gentle hand against the plating of his foot and looked up at him. "Take care of yourself, Optimus. I don't want to have to pick up whatever's left of you on the side of the road. We have much catching up to do before that happens." She smiled. A small, hardly evident smile pulled at his lips, but he refused its presence and turned from them.

'Find rest, and find it swiftly. We have much to do in the coming hours."

Then he transformed and left, rumbling in that disheveled heap of a form. Mira watched him go until his headlights were unnoticeable against the inky blackness now set over the Texas desert. Cold snatched the heat from her skin as she took out her phone and turned on the flashlight, grabbing two of the packs and rounding the building to the service door. Cade grabbed the other bag and followed, Tessa in the middle of their line.

Mira successfully managed to kick the door open and fished for a lightswitch. Upon finding the electricity disconnected, she managed to unscrew the lightswitch cover and find the wires for the electricity. Using the Shield, she connected the wires and instantly the room came to life around them, only to reveal the true abandonment here. Apparently in a hurry when the owner's left, they'd left behind a huge mess of boxes and supplies and junk in their building. Mira shrugged a shoulder and situated the packs by the door. Cade managed to arrange a small bed for Merrick made entirely out of empty boxes and bubble wrap, and laid the boy gently down before approaching them.

"Well," he said, "you heard the guy. Let's get some rest."

Tessa nodded and managed to find a comfortable place along the bar counter of the establishment. Using one of the packs for pillow, she curled herself into a ball and started to snore lightly out of exhaustion. Mira leaned against the wall, watching out the window for Optimus to return, the Glock sitting on the sill beside her. Cade hunkered down in a chair and ran his fingers through his hair, mumbling to himself before letting his head fall against the wall behind him with a solid thunk. Mira watched the window for what seemed like hours when he made the next statement.

"You think he's coming back?"

Mira gave him her attention. "Who do you mean?"

"Optimus," he stated quietly, "you think he'll come back for us?"

She gave him a disgusted look. "That's not even a question. Optimus will return. He always has." she sighed, "He has no reason not to." There was a pause between them a moment before she had to choke back tears at the next thought. It must've come out of her mouth because she felt her breath against the glass and her lips moving. "...they were going to kill my son."

"They would've, and they'll still want to." Came the reply from the corner where Cade resided.

The thought made tears fall from her eyes silently. She closed them and felt her gut twist into hot knots, and she looked over to her little boy. Pain skyrocketed throughout her body and her heart began to hammer as she saw that man with his gun to her little boy's head, his eyes filled with fear. It almost made her sick. If she would've had any food in her stomach, she probably would've vomited.

It was awhile before Cade's breathing became rhythmic and heavy with sleep. She continued to watch the window, watching the night for any trace of Optimus, or her sanity. She half expected her life to come running up from where she'd come and offer her a ticket back to yesterday, when Optimus didn't exist and their lives were all normal again. Back to when Ratchet was still alive. She closed her eyes and sniffled, and Will filled her thoughts. She had to cover her mouth when she saw his face in the darkness of her memories, only to suppress a sob rising in her throat.

She didn't open her eyes.


	14. Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

**...**

"Mira."

Her name called out to her in the darkness, pulling her forward from an unconscious state. After being riddled with pictures of Will's face in her dreams, she had no desire to leave the state of which she was in. She was being held, fondled, caressed, and kissed by her love; she was staring into his eyes and loosing herself. Their laughter was ringing off the walls of her subconscious, until her dreamed turned into a horrid nightmare.

Suddenly, she saw Merrick, back on Cade Yeager's farm. His little body was unconsciously laid in the middle of the driveway, a dark pool surrounding his body. There was gunfire coming from the barn, harsh voices screaming out behind her as she ran in slow motion to her baby. Upon inspection of his body, she found him to be swimming in his own blood-his heart no longer beating. Eyes open and staring at her blankly, she screamed and grabbed at his clothing, smothering herself in his blood until she heard her name again.

"Mira..."

She thrashed out an arm. "No!"

The room was barely lit with uprising sunshine on the horizon, but staring into the window above her was a sharp, white light which only could be resolved as headlights. Stretching her arms over her head, she scanned the room to find Cade and Tessa both awake. Tessa looked like she needed coffee direly, and Cade had two-day unshaven stubble starting to show. Shouldering a bag, he drew his hand back when she had lashed out at him.

"What? What's going on?" she whispered, spying Merrick in the corner of the room. It couldn't be more than six in the morning, and she had a pounding headache that would not subside. Her body was aching and her stomach grumbling in hunger. Sliding up from her place against the wall, she reached into the window sill for the Glock, checked the semi and nodded to it from the window. Straightening the end of her shirt, she marched for the other pack left at the door and bent to retrieve her phone. Checking the time, she sighed. It was 5:32.

"Optimus just got back," Cade said quietly.

She nodded. "Figures." Mira stepped over the trash and fallen objects all over the old station and began scanning, "Try to find something to eat in here-like cans of fruit, anything. We have to dump whatever gear we don't need," she sighed, "we can't haul all this stuff." Looking down at her phone, she had two texts messages and six missed calls.

The first text was from Optimus, saying that he was back for them and it was time to hit the road. The second was from Bryce, her brother: _"Did what you asked. Crosswinds initiated-you're off the planet. What's going on?" _The six calls were from him as well.

She decided to text him later. Stuffing the phone into her pocket, she bent to look through the gym bag. She began unloading everything and going through it, doing a mental inventory of everything they'd need. Tessa came up beside her sheepishly and began to sort as well. Fifteen minutes into her counting ammunition, she felt a tug at her side and looked down. Merrick had awakened as was groggy eyed.

"Momma," he said quietly, "I have to go potty."

Mira sighed. "Okay," she smiled and ruffled his hair. "Give Momma a few minutes, ok? We'll go see if we can find somewhere." She tucked a stray, out-of-control curl behind her ear and pushed up her glasses. The boy nodded and she checked the window, which had darkened. Hopefully Optimus was resting and not pushing himself to exhaustion, as he often did.

Cade walked back through the door, Mira realizing she hadn't noticed he'd left. After her count of ammo for the .50, she began sorting through the Glock and Baretta ammunition when she saw Cade squat to his knees to talk to Merrick quietly. The little boy rubbed his eyes and Cade nodded, picking the boy up with a strong arm. Mira shifted her vision back to the ammo when he approached.

"I'm gunna take this kid and find a bathroom, then I'll go talk with the big guy," he jerked a thumb towards the window. Mira nodded and watched him truck out the door again, minding Merrick's head before the two of them vanished. It was just her and Tessa now, and there was quiet.

Mira didn't know what she say to this girl who almost got them all killed. What do you say to such a person? Anger still colored her blood at the girl who had no respect for any of them and would much rather see to her own needs than anyone else's. She'd jeopardized lives, families, and perhaps the succession of entire planet's future through Optimus Prime, the last Prime of Cybertron. The thoughts crashed through Mira's head like a wave, and she tossed aside a wad of twenty dollar bills she'd been counting. A soft voice came from beside her, one that was confused, ashamed, and perhaps frightened.

"Mira," Tessa began quietly. Mira realized this was the first time the girl had really spoken her name and addressed her alone. Pushing aside her emotion, she felt the scripture of Mark 12:31 wash over her, _"Love your neighbor as yourself..." _

"Yes?" She replied, equally quiet. She heard a truck door slam outside. Picking up the emergency pack, she began unloading the contents. Tessa wrapped her hand around a flashlight and ran her fingers over it tenderly.

"I," she began, voice turning quaky, "I...I didn't know who those people were," she looked away, her voice shying even more. "I didn't they were gunna come and hurt you and your little boy." She looked back at Mira and Mira was surprised to see heartfelt tears in her eyes. They were apologetic eyes, ones she was familiar with. "I was so scared when Optimus-"

Mira's heart broke for this girl, suddenly. With her mother gone, Mira realized this girl was entirely alone for female guidance. With a threat posing to take her father away, Mira surmised she would've done the same thing, potentially. This girl was petrified of change, because her mother dying had been a change. Their financial situation had changed for the worse. And now, their lives were frankly over.

Mira gave her a soft smile and touched her arm, "It's okay. You reacted out of fear, and that happens sometimes. You had no idea."

At the realization of Mira's forgiveness, she burst out crying. Dropping the flashlight on the counter, she put a hand over her mouth and then wrapped one around her abdomen. "They," she struggled, "they were gunna...they killed...Lucas. They killed Lucas." She said as if she needed to confirm it to herself. Then, suddenly, she began to tremble and turned to Mira, shaking her head through her tears and sniffling wildly, "I didn't think they were gunna hurt your son! I didn't think they'd-I'm sorry!" She was a heap of crying tragedy, and Mira suddenly realized this girl had not meant to harm her, Merrick, or Optimus-or even her father. She had been terrified at the presence of a giant, alien robot who had participated in the destruction of Chicago, and she had reacted on an impulse.

Releasing the items from the emergency kit, she grabbed Tessa's wrists gently yet forcefully and this stopped the girl's crying instantly. Mira stared at her square in the eyes, trying to help the girl compose herself. "Tessa. It's okay. You didn't _know. _I forgive you," her voice dropped when Tessa's bottom lip began to tremble, "You've realized your mistakes and have remedied them. That's all that I ask."

Tessa nodded. "I'm sorry," her gaze dropped from Mira, "I really am."

Mira nodded and pulled the girl close into a hug, wrapping her arms around her securely. She rubbed the girls back, and for a moment Tessa did nothing but just stand there. Then, after a few moments, she laid her head against Mira's shoulder and sniffled, then wrapped her arms around Mira to finish the hug. When she'd settled and stopped trembling, Mira stepped back cautiously and turned back to the emergency backpacks. "Let's get this finished. Anything we desperately don't need, we'll toss."

It took them roughly ten minutes to decide what they needed. Mira reasoned on a first aid kit, the money, and some dried food. She deliberated a few moments about the ammunition and weapons. It was all too heavy to carry, and they needed only two backpacks to be light. So, she tossed the knife and a few of the grenades, as well as the bang sticks. She tucked a few smoke-bombs in her pockets, and then arranged one of the emergency kits for weapons, the other for the food and necessities.

Overall, they left behind the entire Nike bag.

The door closed next to them, and Mira was half expecting Cade. She'd been tossing around the idea of leaving the Barrett.50 altogether, and wanted his opinion. It was heavy, and hardly appropriate to be lugging around everywhere. So, without checking the door, she began scanning the room for anything they'd need and tossed the question over her shoulder, while Tessa was busy organizing the bags still.

"Cade, what do you-"

"Mira," the voice was not Cade's, but belonged to Optimus. She whirled around too quickly, lost her footing, and fell back against a shelf behind the bar counter. It rattled behind her, startling her almost to death, and rained down paperwork, empty bottles, and silverware. It clattered to the floor and Mira curled her arms into her body to protect them, eyes pinched shut. Only when there was quiet did she open them and find both Optimus and Tessa staring at her strangely.

"Alright then," she brushed herself off and rounded the bar again. Grabbing one of the packs, she checked around again for anything they could've left behind that was important to have, and instinctively reached up to finger the Shield, which had since grown dormant in Optimus' presence. Tessa shouldered the other bag and walked out the door towards the semi, leaving her and Optimus alone. "I think we're ready." Optimus crossed his arms nonchalantly and blinked at her. She noticed his shining eyes were unusually dull today...he was tired. She tipped her head to the side, reached a hand up, and touched his cheek tenderly. "You okay, Prime?"

He looked away. "I'm fine."

"You're lying."

He shot a look to her. "Why must you always see through me?"

She shrugged. "You're a terrible liar," she smiled, "which is a very good thing, trust me." She grabbed the phone from her pocket and checked the time, then looked back at him. His form flickered, obviously the hologram using far too much power than he could spare. "We need to get you looked at..."

"I'm fine," he challenged heavily. "We need to talk about our next move."

Ah, yes. The game plan. Prime was always on top of the plans. She nodded, situated the pack on her shoulder, and then looked out to the truck. They were going to need reinforcements, that was for sure, because whoever Prime was challenged by back there obviously had some weapons not to mess around with. Also, since Cybertornian's didn't tend to travel alone, she assumed he had followers that wouldn't be dormant for long.

That meant rallying the troops, what was left of them. Mira had stayed in contact with Ratchet, that's it. She knew the location of Bumblebee, but had resolved to let him stay where he was without interruption. The fewer Autobots together, the better. It was bad enough her, Will, and Ratchet were even in the same state. She didn't know where the other's were hiding out, or what they had done with themselves...or if those Cemetery Wind guys had gotten a hold of them.

By the look in Prime's eyes, Mira knew he had their locations close at heart.

"Who was that?" she broke the silence between them, "back in Paris. I've never seen him."

Prime nodded, "He is a long-forgotten adversary,"

"Decepticon?"

He shook his head. "No. He is a Neutral," he referred to the team of Cybertronian's unwilling to side during the Great Wars. They remained alone, by themselves. Most Neutral's worked for the other colony planets around the galaxy, mostly as scouts or mercenaries. Some were assassins. Mira had heard little of them in her time with the Autobot's, but had learned some of their history from the annals and from Optimus' stories. "He is known as Lockdown," Optimus looked away from her, "...and he is a Neutral mercenary."

Her stomach dropped slightly, and she swallowed thickly. "What does he want?" The question was legitimate. Lockdown-or perhaps the entity he was working for-obviously wanted something on this planet, hence the reason for his arrival. By the look Optimus gave her, she was petrified to hear the answer. He didn't reply, only stared at her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "...he wants you, doesn't he?"

"I'm afraid so."

She sighed and looked down. "Primus," she said quietly, "...why?"

"I'm not sure," he turned and headed for the door, "but if Lockdown and Cemetery Wind are looking for us, we need to know why."

She nodded firmly. "Agreed."

He asked the next question carefully, holding the door open with a strong arm. "Do you think you can make contact with your brother? It would be best to eliminate any trails."

"Done."

He smiled at her, lightly with exhaustion. "Good girl. Do you know if Bumblebee is still with him?" His voice carried a tone of concern in referencing the scout, whom Mira understood to be somewhat along the lines of Optimus' pupil.

When NEST had recruited Mira, she had undertaken the responsibility of finding her brother a place among the military ranks after his assistance-and injury-in Cairo, Egypt. NEST had compensated his injury by providing him a technician job on-base. Shortly after having been introduced to the Autobots around the time Mira had, Bryce and Bumblebee had developed a relationship, much like Mira and Optimus had. While Bumblebee had orders to protect Sam Witwicky and the Allspark, his loyalties did not lie there. They lied with Bryce, and had ever since.

Once Bryce had been injured in Cairo, Bumblebee had not left his side. Mira assumed it was because Bumblebee felt partly responsible for the injury, but that wasn't accurate. Bryce had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had paid dearly for it with an injury to his left food, which had left him with a nasty limp. And with that limp came the inability for active duty, and Bryce found himself behind the scenes of the Autobots since.

And, once NEST had disbanded, Ratchet had shared with Bryce the ins-and-outs of Teletraan-1 and Vector Sigma, showing maps and directional navigation charts throughout the entire system. Bryce had rapidly caught on, and had tried his hand at some of the Cybertronian programming, and had succedded wildly. Since that day, Optimus had entrusted Bryce with most of NEST's computer work, leaving her brother with the power, authority, and ability to wipe them all-human or Cybertronian-off the face of the planet.

And he had done so, with himself, the Autobots, and NEST. He'd erased them entirely. Bryce and Bumblebee had retreated out to the mountains of Montana, resting quietly in the woods, no one around and completely off the charts. Bumblebee provided any type of communication Bryce needed, and they made frequent trips into town when necessary for supplies. Bryce was the everyday "mountain man".

So, the question of whether she knew where Bumblebee was seemed rhetorical, but she answered anyway. "Yes, Bumblebee is still with Bryce. They're inseparable."

Prime's holoform nodded, and chuckled. "I suppose you are right. But, everyone said we were inseparable as well, and look what happened." That was a strange statement coming from him; Prime usually didn't bring up his personal past, unless it was just him and her. He rarely offered such information, especially if they weren't talking about personal history.

"Things happen, situations and circumstances change. If it helps, I missed you," she chuckled, stepping out of the building. Optimus closed the door tightly, and stopped when Merrick stared directly at him. Mira stopped as well upon sight of her little boy. She wondered if he remembered anything of yesterday, but the look in his eyes and on his face told her he did remember every detail. Now was probably better than later to introduce the two of them and explain.

"Merrick," she approached the truck where Cade and Tessa were standing by. Merrick sat in the passenger's seat, and looked down at her. She gestured for him to hop down, and once he did, she knelt before him and grabbed his wrists. She smiled at him as he just stared at her, still exhausted. "How're you doing, buddy?"

He squeaked, "What's going on?" It came out as more of a whine and he slumped his shoulders forward, "I want to go home."

She nodded and touched his face, "I know, honey. But, we can't go home. We have to go see some of my friends, ok?"

He was quiet. She sighed and looked down.

"Do you remember when I told you I was in the army?" He nodded rapidly, "Okay. Well, I worked in a very...special part of the army. It was called NEST."

"Like a bird's nest?"

Mira made a face. "Sorta. It was spelled the same way, but it meant something else," she pointed to Optimus' holoform. "That guy over there was my boss. His name is Optimus." Optimus nodded to the boy, who was looking over his shoulder.

"Momma," he said quietly, looking down and slipping his hands into his pockets. Mira dreaded the next question that was sure to come up, "...who where those guys?"

There was silence a few minutes until she mustered up the courage to speak, "Those guys were really, really bad men. They came to hurt me, and Optimus," she smiled at him weakly, "They are mad at me about my job in the army. They didn't like what I did."

He looked away, and then at the semi. Touching it, he then looked back at Mira and his eyes darted between Cade and Tessa, Optimus, and the semi. He scuffed his shoe against the pavement until he leaned forward and whispered into her ear quickly, "what was that?"

She wrinkled her brow. "What was what?"

"That..._huge robot _yesterday."

The boiling question, obviously rolling around his brain. Once he asked, he looked somewhat relieved and rocked back on his heels a moment. She looked to Optimus and touched the Shield, and he nodded to her a confirming yes. A yes, tell the boy. He was blood, after all, and her blood was basically Optimus' blood. She approached the question carefully. "he...he is my friend," she said quietly, "his name is Optimus."

Merrick shot a look over his shoulder. "He has the same name as him?" He pointed, confused.

Mira lowered his hand, "Yes, I know." she sighed heavily. "Optimus," she nodded to the holoform, "...is that..."

Optimus interjected, "Mira, stop for one moment." He held up his two holographic hands and approached them, kneeling before the boy on one knee. He smiled at Merrick, and touched the boys hand. "Don't be afraid, son."

There was a quiet click from the cab, and the holoform began to dissipate into a fizzle of electric diamonds. Merrick, now panicked, frantically backed and hit the fender of the semi, Mira reaching out for him. His face paled dramatically and his eyes were far too wide to be considered normal. Grabbing his hand, she gently pulled him away from the truck and gestured for Cade and Tessa to step away.

"Merrick," she turned him to face her, "don't be scared. Optimus is my friend. He was Daddy's friend, too. He is very nice and won't hurt you, okay?"

Merrick just stood, motionless.

Mira looked back to the truck, and the transformation cogs initiated. Instantly his form began to change; twisting and turning in on itself like a massive puzzle. Plating and metal shifted forward, backward, and behind, and parts of the semi vanished altogether. His body began to take shape, and Mira watched Merrick for any signs of shock. His mouth had already dropped open from the moment the truck broke apart, and his eyes had widened even more. Now, instead of fear was the fascination of a little boy, and she was pleased to see he seemed somewhat excited. Actually, she saw Will in her son's face, the type of fascination and bewilderment he always got when he witnessed a transformation. Merrick was so much like Will is was uncanny.

Now almost complete, Optimus took a knee before them, and then slammed his hands into the earth as he finished his transformation. Now face-to-face with both Mira and Merrick, Cade and Tessa taking a backseat to this introduction, there was quiet all around. Mira's heart began to pound as she realized her son-her flesh and blood-was meeting with her guardian, her best friend, her partner. Two generations coming together.

Then, Optimus opened a compartment on his left arm, and took his fingers and pulled something from that compartment. It seemed microscopic in his hands, until he extended it to Merrick. Mira's eyes began to pool as she noticed the familiar toy semi, given to Merrick by Will before he died. Tears welled and dripped down her cheeks, and she suppressed a sob as Merrick reached out to grab it.

"This belongs to you," Optimus said gently.

Merrick wrapped his hands around the toy and pulled it close. His face was riddled with excitement, relief, inspiration, and energy as he looked up at Optimus. "It looks just like you."

Optimus nodded, "I believe that was the point when your father gave it to you," he said, glancing over to Mira, "and now you know why."

Merrick just stared up at Optimus, unwilling to say anything for a moment. He then looked down to the toy, and then back up at him. They stared at one another until Merrick finally decided to speak. "You seem bigger now," he gave Optimus a quirky smile, "I've heard about you, at school. Everyone says you're not a good guy."

Optimus, obviously taken aback at this, replied. "Well, I hope to prove them wrong-"

"-but I don't believe them."

Mira's brows rose, and she looked to Optimus. He gave her a look in return, then focused his attention on the boy. Taking a huge hand, he pressed a finger gently into Merrick's chest, and Merrick looked down to the massive hand. Optimus then used the finger to tip the boy's chin up, and narrowed his optics. "And what do you say, son?"

Merrick smiled, "I think you're pretty cool."

Mira suppressed a giggle by clapping her hands over her mouth. Merrick's response obviously humored Optimus as well, because he cracked a satisfied smile to the young boy before him. Mira could only imagine what he was thinking. "You're very much like your mother, Merrick."

Merrick sighed dramatically as Optimus stood to his full height. Rolling his eyes, he gave her a very serious, six-year-old stare. "I _know. _Everyone says that!"

Mira, deciding to change the subject, looked up to Optimus. "So, what's the next move?" They needed to get on the road to stay ahead of Cemetery Wind, and Mira wanted as far out of Texas as she could get. Shooting a look to Cade and Tessa, she sighed.

"It is best to regain contact with the Autobots and regroup," Optimus began, "if Lockdown is after me, he as a ship."

Mira nodded, "Which means soldiers."

Optimus nodded. "Exactly. We need to get the Autobots reoriented to the situation."

Cade stepped into the conversation next, rubbing his beard. "And what about that Savoy guy?"

Mira shot a look to Optimus before continuing, "There was someone at the other end of that communication link, giving the orders," she surmised, "so Savoy is working for someone."

"But who?" Cade asked the challenging question burning on everyone's mind.

Mira stretched her arms over her head, her shoulders popping. She felt the Glock pull against the waist of her cargo pants, and she pulled it out. It was the Glock she'd plucked from a soldier back at Cade's house, and she pulled back the slide. As she completed the action, an idea hit in square in the side of the head and she popped the magazine out of the gun, assuring it wouldn't fire. Then, she walked towards Cade and tossed him the gun.

"That was a gun from one of the soldiers," she said firmly, "I bet if you tear it apart it'll have some type of manufacturer's number, or something that can clue is in to who that guy is working for."

Cade nodded. "Sure. I just need some tools to get this apart. It'll take an hour, tops."

Optimus nodded. "I will send out an encrypted transmission to the Autobots," he began, "I would say rendezvousing in Montana is our best option." He pointed to Mira, and gestured to the rest of them, "It is a long journey."

Tessa shrugged a shoulder. "Do we have a choice?"


	15. A Coming Parting--Ark Entry 2

**Author's Note**

**The Ark, 1221**

* * *

The bridge, perhaps my favorite place aboard this ship, is my place. Everyone aboard knows I find my comfort here, a visible expanse of the outer galaxies before my eyes, forever a canvas to my mind's imagination. Here I have concocted some of the most riveting adventures I could ever imagine; here I have seen things no human has ever beheld. Here, I have philosophized with my dearest friend, and we have talked of worlds and peace, of science and knowledge, of life and death.

The bridge, perhaps said, is probably the only place on this ship I feel like myself. It's my home away from home.

And here, as I stare into the constellations, I am not alone. Today he stands beside me, arms crossed over his chest plating, optics equally beholding the marvelous deep before us. He commands this vessel, but he carries himself as if he was nothing more than a soldier, a man serving for a complete, and free, Cybertron. I look up from my journal, bringing my legs up beneath me from their dangling position over the edge of bridge, and set my pen down.

"I will regret this," I sigh.

He looks down at me, "All isn't lost, my friend. You'll be able to return to what you've started soon enough."  
I set my journal and pen aside and stand myself up, now fully able to see the command station of Ark. Before me the constellation of Andromeda sparkles divinely, I recognize it only because of my studies at Teletraan-1, where I spend most of my waking hours soaking in knowledge. "It doesn't feel like it. Nine months, Optimus! Nine. That's close to a year. A year away from Mira and Merrick's story. How will I return to them with as much zest as I started with?"

A low chuckle erupts from him as he smiles, shaking his head at me. Lowering a hand, he gestures for me to climb into it and I oblige. He raises it, stares at me as I sit, and his optics sparkle at me. Such a sight...perhaps more beautiful than Andromeda, if I could dare think so. "It is in your programming, Miriam. You can't help but have such zest when your write."

I shrug, "I hate when people say that," I mumble, "it's not true. Sometimes it's very difficult to return with as much enthusiasm..."

He nods. "I understand. Either way, you write beautifully. Once you return and try your hand, you will be surprised to find that zest again. I have fully faith in you."

I smile sheepishly at him. "Thank you, Optimus."

He smiles again, "Do not thank me. It is what friends do." He turns, and we begin to leave the bridge, me casting one look behind me at the stars again until they are swallowed up by the doors leading to the bridge sliding back into place. We are among the soldiers now, those who run the ship and keep it functioning. "In the meantime, everyone is waiting for another entry of your _Star Diaries. _They keep asking," he laughs a deep, baritone laugh now, "and I keep telling them your working on them. Has our journey's done unto you all that you have said they do?"

I nod, "Yes. It's all very fascinating. Intergalactic travel is something humans don't expect in their lifetime, Optimus. For me to write them down in a fictional story is more duty than pleasure. I'm glad your soldiers are enjoying them."

He nods and we make our way to the navigation chambers, where Drift and Bumblebee are madly looking at a holomap, pointing and whispering and debating. We stop in the doorway and they look up. Drift rounds the panel, and stops a few feet from us. "Sensei," he address Optimus gently, "I'm glad you've come. We have much to deliberate." Optimus nods, and raises his hand to his shoulder, where he gestures with his head for me to situate myself. I do so and we approach the panel.

"Let the lesson begin," I challenge him.

* * *

_Sending Transmission: _

_I regret to post this, though it is necessary. _

_ "The Uprising of Extinction", I'm afraid, will be coming to a very slow updating pace very soon. My college days are returning the 21st of August, and I will officially be a full-time Junior. In the midst of homework, setting up an internship, and working as a Pizza Hut manager, I'm afraid my writing will become very stagnant and inactive over the school months. But don't fear! The frigidness will remain outside these coming winter months...there will be plenty of hot ideas fluttering around this brain. I promise to write them down in my journal and write on those said ideas. _

_ Also, in progress is an idea I have for a day-in-the-life-of story, featuring another OC . Nothing is posted yet, but I won't necessarily follow the movies up-front. I will be incorporating the movie's plotline in the background, but this coming idea won't follow the movie timeline. Don't get excited, it's just an idea._

_ I will try and post as much as time allows, but this is just to say, homework and career take precidence. I'll be updating whenever I can, don't worry! Please, stay in touch and shoot me any ideas you may have...as stated, I'm always open for a new challenge. Mira and Merrick's adventure is only hampered briefly, I'll come back to it. _

_In Honor, _

_Miriam (Andromeda Prime)_


	16. Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

**...**

The road was long.

It was neverending. Merrick wondered how long it took construction workers to make roads everywhere across the world. since there was so many. He wondered if the same guys paved all the same roads, or how they got there before those guys paved them. Was the ground always the way it was? How did they make it flat? How did they make bridges across big, open water like in California? How did all those guys get anything done when all they did was lean on their shovels, like Daddy always said?

These were the questions Merrick asked himself as he watched the neverending road under Optimus Prime's tires.

Optimus Prime, an Autobot! Boy, no one at school would ever believe him. Mom had explained that he couldn't tell anyone, or talk to anyone who wasn't in the truck, or who she didn't say was okay. He couldn't tell anyone about any of this, it was a huge, ginormous secret! Optimus had agreed and asked Merrick to not say anything...he actually made him promise. Merrick, feeling safe and secure with this huge robot guy that knew his mom, agreed.

Now they were talking about the bad robot, the one that had tried to kill them with the weird bomb and that was fighting with Optimus Prime. They were talking about his past. Merrick thought it was awesome how the windshield could turn into a computer, and what was cooler was that his Mom knew how to use it! Optimus had explained to him when he'd asked that Mom was very smart, and had known him for a long time, since before Merrick was even born. He told him they were "very close friends".

Mom was looking stuff up on the computer, and Merrick was watching. He desperately wanted to touch that screen and make the stuff move. He wondered if Optimus could feel everything she was doing, since he was the truck and all. He also wondered where all Optimus' parts went when he transformed, and what happened to his legs and hands. How did all that stuff fit into this rickety old semi?

They had driven a long time, and Merrick was getting antsy. Mom had explained that they were going to Montana, to see uncle Bryce, and meet up with the other Autobot soldiers. It was all very much like a movie, or a sci-fi book to Merrick. Who were the bad guys again? What did they want? Why were they here, and wanting to hurt Optimus Prime? And who were those guys who had tried to kill him?

Merrick had always thought if something like that-something like that out of a videogame, anyway-were to ever happen, he'd jump right in and save the day, and his mom. He'd be the hero that was in the newspapers, and he would be rich! So rich! He wanted really badly to be like his favorite heros, Batman and Indiana Jones, and go around saving people and finding cool, ancient stuff. But, that hadn't happened! His _Mom _had done all that stuff...she'd saved them and fought back like a heroine from the videogames. They'd hurt her and tried to kill her, too.

The thought of that man with the gun made Merrick shiver overdramatically. This caught the blond girl's attention. She'd said her name was Tessa, and she was pretty. She also was very nice, and talked with Merrick about what was going on and made it easy for him to understand. She had pretty blue eyes and nice hair, and she talked very quiet. She reminded Merrick of his babysitter, whom he loved to play with. He wondered if she was good at playing games. She rubbed his back and asked, "You okay?" He nodded and looked down to the toy semi truck.

"Yeah," he sighed, "...are we almost there?"

The junkman, Merrick forgot his real name, chuckled. "Not quite yet, buddy. We have a long way to go."

"How long?" He asked.

Mom was busy on the computer again, when the radio lit up and replied with a soft crackle, "Twenty-four hours and fifty-six minutes, Merrick." Merrick looked at the radio, and decided he likes Optimus' voice. It was a soft one, but it was also very...he couldn't place it. His voice made him want to listen. It was very calm and deep, and he liked very much to listen to him talk. He especially liked when he said his name.

"_How_ long?"

Tessa chuckled, "A little over a day's drive, buddy. We'll be there around lunch-time tomorrow." He sat back in the seat and made a face. "That is, if we drive all night."

"We're driving all night," Optimus jutted in quickly, almost offensively.

Mom stopped her touching and wrinkled her brow, "Optimus. All night? Hon, I know you can go all night-or you think you can-" she touched the screen again and enlarged a box. She gestured to the screen, "but you're running on fumes here. You're in desperate need of a service job, not to mention a good weapon's check. The chassi of this thing is falling apart. There is no way you can go all night, dearest," she said "dearest" really sarcastically, and Merrick didn't think that was nice.

"We do not have a choice, Mira," The radio protested assertively, "We're going all night. That's the end of it."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. We'll take turns staying up with you and watching your systems. Even a hint of malfunction or overheating, and you're done."

There was quiet for a minute before he replied, "I would appreciate the company," he said quietly. "There is much we need to discuss, Miriam."

Merrick rolled his eyes, "Don't worry," he crossed his arms, "Mom's good at talking. You'll get an _earful._" He sat back in his seat and looked out the window.

All the grown ups laughed at him.

...

It was roughly six o'clock, and Mira had handed out protein bars to keep hunger at bay earlier in the evening. Now, Tessa and Merrick were both asleep, Merrick resting against Tessa' chest atop her lap, and Tessa's head leaning against the window of the passenger's side of the vehicle. The sun was beginning to slightly go down, and Cade, Mira, and Optimus were silent with one another.

Mira could feel the cogs turning in Cade's mind. He had to have so many questions for the two of them. She was impressed he kept them at bay, sitting in the driver's seat. He looked at home; one arm out the open window, the other lazily drooped over the steering wheel. Mira could only appreciate his cooperation throughout all of this.

She'd sent the See-All away, now just watching the rolling highway. Her nerves hurt, as did her joints, and she realized how sore she actually was. But, resting against the seat-back, she was able to find peace. Her son was alive, as was her closest friend, and she was with him again. It felt good to be surrounded by him, good to be in his presence and feel appreciated again. Good to feel loved, guarded. For so long it'd had been her and Merrick, her forever the guardian and the supporter. It felt good, as a woman, to have a man watching over her now and making the decisions. She had no problem relinquishing the helm.

And Cade. She studied him from the corner of her eye. Mira really hadn't had time to take him in, throughout everything. He was a man, she knew that much. But he was indeed a _man. _Dark hair masqueraded with matching eyes, and thick arms strong from working with machinery and metals. He had quick intelligence and quick eyes, probably from solving equations and working out problems, matched with incredible pride leveled with humility. He carried himself like a millionaire, but instead a pauper, living off of his meager, generous givings. Cade's broad shoulders belonged to that of a Texas man who knew work and did not shirk it, and his hands were calloused and knew hard labor. Overall, as she studied him she came to a solid conclusion that he was attractive...probably too attractive. He probably had women; younger Texas women that had no children lined up around the block waiting for him to wake up and smell the coffee and realize he needed a woman around, and his daughter Tessa needed someone too.

Mira quickly pocketed the feelings and turned to look out the window. The sun was beginning to deepen on the horizon, and the sky began to turn a peachy pink. Calmness fell over her when there was shifting to her right, drawing her attention. Cade scratched the back of his neck, and the radio crackled to life before her.

"Tell me something," Optimus began. Mira smiled and wrapped her arms around her middle, sinking into the worn upholstery, feeling quite safe and at home.

"Anything," she chuckled, "what?"

He continued, "What followed that night in Mexico?" He asked very gently, "I know...I know William was killed, Miriam."

Her stomach dropped a thousand feet. "How did you know that?"

Optimus answered, "You're comm link was open," he said quietly, "I heard everything. I...I was grieved." There was silence between them as tears pulled at Mira's eyes. She used the back of her wrist to wipe at them, and propped her glasses up on top of her head, "I witnessed everything, Mira. I was not far away."

She couldn't breathe, much less speak, but she managed, "I always thought..."

"I know," he sighed, "and I regret my absence. If I could have been there, Mira, you know I would've. As I've said, fate rarely calls upon us..."

"...at a moment of our choosing," she sniffled, "I know. I never held it against you," she touched the dash, "there was nothing to be done. God called him home."

Cade spoke from beside her, "Your husband, he knew about the Autobots?"

Mira nodded and Optimus filled the question, "Yes, Major Lennox was one of the human soldiers who fought beside us in our first battle on earth; in Mission City. He was a loyal ally." His voice trailed off before continuing, "he is greatly missed, especially in these times."

Mira nodded. "That he is," she looked over at Merrick, "I...I just wish Merrick would've known him better. He's..too young not to have a dad." She awkwardly sunk down in her seat, and propped her feet up on the dashboard, crossing them at the ankles. She rested her head back on the seat and Cade spoke up.

"You still have time," he said lightly, "there's someone out there."

She looked up at him, "Doesn't feel like it. Will was my first everything," she felt a rapid blush erupt on her cheeks and she nervously looked away, "I dunno if I ever could give those things to someone else." she shrugged.

Cade nodded, eyes never leaving the horizon. "You will, someday. When the right guy comes along. You're not old...how old are you?" He then looked at her, and she wondered if that in his eye was wonder, excitement, or pure innocent curiosity. She hoped it was the latter.

She chuckled, "A lady doesn't reveal her age," she looked to the radio. Cade gave her a look, and she laughed lightly, "Well," she began to count, "I'm thirty. I graduated when I was 20, and met the Autobots when I was 21. Will and I got married when I was 24, and had Merrick within the year," she rolled her eyes, "and Will died last year. So...yeah. Thirty." she didn't sound impressed. Then, shooting him a smirk, she asked, "...how old are you?"

"Guess."

She laughed. "Guess? Really?"

He nodded. "Guess. And if you're close, I'll tell you."

She rolled her eyes. "Well then," she was quiet as she pondered his age. He couldn't be more than 40, by the wrinkles around his eyes anyway. He was built like a younger guy, but that didn't mean much. She hummed and hoed until she finally gave her best guess. "...I'm thinking like 36?"

He chuckled, "I'm flattered," he sighed, "but I'm almost forty."

Her eyes widened. "Really. You don't look it."

"Thanks?" he sounded doubtful.

She smiled. "A compliment."

They were quiet a while longer, until she wondered if changing the subject was okay. Mira thought about talking to Optimus about Ratchet, if now was a good time or not. She decided now wouldn't be, since he was driving and obviously exhausted, so she'd keep that tidbit of information under her hat until a better time.

She brought out her phon to check for messages, and found no new ones, "Optimus," she asked, "Have the Autobots responded to your transmission?" It was a genuine question, followed by another, "if so, how soon can they meet us?"

His reply was swift, "No one has replied yet," he sounded hopeful, "but do not worry. They will." He was faithful in his Autobots, she knew that much. She wondered why they hadn't heeded his call yet, or what was stopping them? Could his signature really be that masked?

"Why do you think they haven't?" Cade asked out loud.

Mira shrugged, "A number of reasons. They could be detained, angry, disbelieving. They've been hurt by people, Cade. We know a lot about their technology...they're not about to jump the gun and dive head first into something as suspicious as a call from Optimus Prime, who's been out of the picture for three years," she touched the dash with a solid thump, "anyone would be suspicious. I would be."

"Mira has a point," Optimus affirmed, "I have made no contact with my Autobots since my disappearance into hiding three years ago. They have no reason to believe I would be transmitting now."

"So, they need something to prove it's actually you," Cade pieced together, "what would they need? A picture of you? Live feed?"

Mira shook her head, "Way too risky."

Optimus thought out loud for a minute, "Mira is right. That would be far too dangerous, especially with Lockdown hard at work," he brought up the See-All and began confirguring a few moments, Mira and Cade watching as he rapidly set up a live-feed, "...but maybe it's not me they need to see. Maybe it's someone else, someone they know I trust and someone they know has access to me." Then, suddenly Mira's face appeared on the screen, obviously a camera pointed at her. "...maybe they need to see my charge. Mira."

She blinked at the camera. "Me? What would I say?"

"You'll think of something," Cade said, "you're a writer, right? Aren't words your passion or something?"

She gave him a look, "Words, yes. Speeches? Those I leave to Optimus," she looked at the radio. "...fine. Let's do this."

Sitting up, she crossed her legs Indian style and tied her hair back into it's usual messy bun. Sliding her glasses into place, she used her other hand to slip the Shield from behind her shirt and rest it so it was visible to the camera. It had grown accustomed to Prime's presence, obviously due to its lack of life, and Mira fingered it out of habit. Optimus configured the line and secured it doubly, before sending it live. Mira watched the light flick on the screen, and she looked up at the screen with her face.

"Autobots," she said sternly, "this is Miriam Lennox. The time has come yet again for our forces to bind together for the sake of the galaxy...there is a imbalance between our races, I know. But, I am forever and always your ally, rest assured in that knowledge if necessary.

At the request of our leader, I beckon your response to pose a rendezvous in the coming days. War has found us even in the shadow of our pasts, and it is on the horizon. We must stand and fight. None of us can escape this on our own. There is much to deliberate," she tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "As I have trusted you in the past and as I do now, I need you to trust me. The line is open for transmissions, and I await your reply. Miriam out." The feed cut-out and the screen vanished. Optimus deactivated the See-All, and now there were stars on the horizon.

"Well done," Optimus breathed.

Cade chuckled from the driver's seat. "You are a writer, I'll give you that."


	17. Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

**...**

Night had befallen the skies now, leaving traces of heaven looking down on earth through pinpricks of light above them. Optimus noted these familiar stars; these constellations, having remembered them in the distance of past memories before coming to this place, this peculiar planet. He noted the positions of the stars and logged them, sighting constellations as he always did when he was alone these nights. His headlights struggled against the darkness dogging around him, the ground flat for miles in any direction. So unlike his home; how so much space could be...empty, serene. So much unlike Cybertron.

Odd, how this emptiness filled him. For so long he'd been on this planet, familiarizing himself with its customs and practices, that he'd starting calling this place home. Far be it from him to ever forget Cybertron; Primus knew he couldn't, but Earth was beginning to feel comfortable...it was open, undeveloped, and intelligent. It held promises, even in the midst of an arising apocalypse.

He pitied these people, these humans who were subject to his war, which had flailed out control from Cybertron and into the expanse of the galaxy. He was grieved to think about the loss of life here at his hand, at Megaton's hand...the numbers were seemed to outweigh the numbers on Cybertron, though numerically they were so far apart. Perhaps what horrified Optimus the most was the realization his war had stretched into another ecosystem, another world, raging and ravaging and destroying; when all he had desired was the end the slavery of the chastes politically.

How had it gotten this far?

Now, as he drove, he listened to the movement of life within his cab. Here, he possessed the most valuable forms of living he could imagine, right in his grasp. Their fragility in even slumber was astounding; they were so easily broken but so resilient! Even in their understanding of their fragility did they dare the dangerous and go the low road; choosing dangers of war, violence, destruction, just as his people had.

And they were astounding. He listened as they breathed, a beautiful sound of life, he surmised. He could sit for hours and study them; the way their heart-rate slowed as they slept, the way they moved gently to reposition, how their eyes flittered. It was a beautiful picture of peace and serenity, one that he had not witnessed for many eons. It was almost as fascinating as analyzing data, as he had in the Hall of Records, and learning as the Cybertron evolved; learning alongside the growth of the very planet he was born from. The way these being moved and talked and processed and learned was magnificent.

Their capacity to love struck him more powerfully than anything. They had such a willingness to lay down their lives for one another, especially their kindred, it was almost dizzying to Optimus. He'd never once imagined such dedication; save his dedication to Cybertron and life, but never had he seen more loyalty to one individual than he had seen in people. They were a brave species, one very compelled to serve. He could hardly, to this day, believe that Mira and her family would still stand beside him, even at the loss of a husband, father, and friend. How Sam was willing to stand beside him after his world had come crashing down around him.

And yet, he adored these beings. He could live and die a thousand deaths in the pits for Mira if it was required of him. He felt no other desire for her than protection; to see her live and live well. Their conversations compelled him to learn, to ask, to teach. He found a freedom around her he'd never felt around his team...for a moment he could become the mech he'd left behind in the Hall of Records and observe rather than fight. He could be someone that did not have to lead mightily; he could lead carefully and in question. He did not have to have the answers, but could ask the questions and think. Half the reason he gave the Shield to Mira was because of her willingness to make mistakes and ask the questions no one else wanted to ask, and give the answers no one wanted to hear. The Shield was about taking chances and using your instinct, trusting the judgment the situation creates within you. It was about daring courage, and daring leadership. Mira was all of those things. She made Orion Pax come alive within him again; the boy ready to learn and ask, the humility of a librarian seeking the knowledge of another.

She, forever the author, was the book. He was the student.

Optimus Prime listened to his comrades breath in the peace of slumber for many hours, watching the time tick continually, unwilling to give him any grace. He fought exhaustion, unwilling to cave to its seductive fingers, unwilling to stop. He pushed on, compelled to a new level every hour, forgetting the trip meter and resolving to go to heaven and back if it was required. He would reunite them with Bryce and Bumblebee and analyze their next move, and find his team. He would find his team, and find out what Lockdown was doing here. He'd kill Lockdown, if it was necessary.

He was halfway through Colorado when dawn broke. He studied the horizon as he drove, unaware of his systems declaring malfunciton in the chassi, and astonished at the flare of color. Iacon provided little gateway into the sky among the rising buildings, and he never had seen so many tapestries in one sky before coming to this planet. It left him breathless.

As did most things in this little world.

...

"Momma,"

Mira's body shook slightly as little, cold hands grabbed at the flesh of her arm. Jerked from her quiet darkness of slumber, she opened her eyes to find daybreak filtering into the cab of the still driving semi. She wondered how long Optimus had been going at it, and if he'd rested at all. She hadn't meant to fall asleep so...early.

Merrick was sitting on the floorboards, arms outstretched to the maximum to grab her arm. She realized she was leaning, half reclined against a warm source of comfort, until she took a deep breath and smelled the familiar scent of grinding sparks, welding dust, and a hint of cologne. Mira also felt a heavy, strong arm draped along her side, and found Cade's arm had fallen from the top of the seatback to rest upon her own. Recognizing the most awkward position, she pushed herself up with her left elbow and stretched her arms above her head.

Then, she heard it.

It was a tiny garbled noise, one that was unmistakable. She sighed. Merrick was hungry, and he was going to want breakfast. Mira straightened her glasses on her face and took in the scenery around them; a two-lane highway separated by a median, running alongside another two-lane highway going the opposite direction. They passed a state sign, one that read Wyoming, Hwy 4. They'd gotten to Wyoming already?

"Momma," Merrick asked again.

Mira waved him off, "Optimus?" she tapped on the dashboard slightly. The radio awakened and the lights flicked on, the cab shaking even more than it had yesturday. They needed out of this cab, to stretch...to breath. Optimus needed them out of this cab to...think.

"Good morning, Mira," he said dully. His voice was drained of any animation, filtered by exhaustion and duty. Her stomach dropped for him. Duty always came before pleasure with Optimus. He highly disregarded his own needs, which upset her. Perhaps the most important of them all, she was unwilling to let him suffer a moment longer. "Did you rest well?"

"Just great," she added quickly, "where are we?"

He brought up the See-All and pinpointed their location on a map of the U.S., "Right here," he clarified, "about an hour out of Montana. We'll be at Bryce's within the day." He focused in on the map, and she spotted the state-line. "We'll be crossing the border within the hour."

"Great," she brought out her phone. Merrick was standing now, an action she instantly chastised with a motherly glare and point back to the floor. Tessa and Cade were still asleep, but stirring. "Merrick!"

"Momma," he whined loudly now, "what's for breakfast? I'm _starved._" He wrapped his arms around his belly, "I wanna stop. My bottom hurts."

Mira looked to the radio, "Prime," she sighed, "we need a rest. As a mom, I would appreciate a truck stop any time."

He focused the map. "Understood. There's one off of highway 4 in about fifteen minutes." She looked to Merrick, who reached for the See-All screen in the windshield. She slapped his hand away and glared at him.

"Don't touch, Merrick," she hissed quietly.

Optimus retorted, "Do not chastise curiosity, Mira, "If our time together has taught you anything, I hope it would be that knowledge is power," he directed his next statement to Merrick, "what would you like to know, young one?"

Merrick gave her a smirk. "what is this?" he plastered his palm against the windshield, eyes bright with curiosity. Mira was half panicked he was going to set something off, perhaps Optimus' longsuffering, and sat rigidly as she awaited his reply, "is it a part of you, Optimus?"

He chuckled, "Yes, it is a part of me. The See-All screen is much like a giant computer," he explained gently, "it allows you to see whatever I am doing, at a human scale."

Cade stirred beside Mira as Optimus continued on quietly with the lesson, and she looked at him. He smiled at her and scratched his three-day stubble, and shifted his position. He looked around and then leaned towards her to ask the next question without interrupting, "Where are we?"

"Just out of Montana," she said hopefully. "We'll be stopping for breakfast in about ten minutes."

He nodded, "Okay. Sounds good."

She smiled at him, "Hopefully we'll be able to get freshened up. I'll put a call into Bryce when we get there, on a secure line and have him meet up with us somewhere at the border."

Cade gave her a crooked smile, "You're just all over it, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "That's my job."

...

As promised, they arrived at the truck-stop. Optimus parked the semi in the far corner of the lot and opened the doors for them, the four of them exiting quickly. Tessa immediately made a dash for the bathrooms to freshen up and do her hair, while Cade took Merrick's hand and escorted him into the bathroom. Mira hung around outside and closed the doors for the semi.

She positioned herself on the driver's side, placing a gentle hand on the front fender. Squatting to her haunches, she dared a look inside the fender and lowered herself to the ground, on her back. Crab-crawling until she reached the running-boards, a hiss of air unlocked from the brakes and Optimus rolled down the windows, the radio booming with command.

"What _are _you doing?" he demanded.

She hit the undercarriage sharply with a palm, "Checking you out under here. Seeing what we're dealing with."

He sighed. "I'm alright, Miriam. You shouldn't be concerning yourself with me. You have a son-"

"Merrick is with Cade," she interjected, "he's fine. If I don't watch out for you, who will?" She slid farther beneath the semi and took a look around. "Geez. How did you manage the rust under here? You're corroded, leaking exhaust in three places, and dripping..." she touched the liquid and brought it to her nose. The sweet smell of Energon, every Cybertronian's lifeforce, stung her senses. "You're leaking Energon, Optimus. You need a different form."

He sighed, frustrated now, "I will work on a different form," he said hastily, "if you promise me you'll get yourself looked after."

She patted the fender as she stood up, out form beneath the semi, "That's a deal. Give us thirty minutes."

"Go."

She chuckled and hurried for the truckstop, a shabby little diner with an attached convenience store. Grabbing the was of money she'd stuck in her cargoes, she entered the store and found Cade and Merrick deciding between orange juice and apple juice, a box of cereal tucked securely under Cade's arm. Tessa had tied her hair back into a ponytail, and had secured a blue and white plaid button down from somewhere and tied it around her waist. She was sporting a box of fruit snacks, and an iced coffee.

"Mom!" Merrick spotted her and dashed over, handing her an orange juice, "Can we get donuts, please?" His eyes were begging for the sugary goodness, and she touched his shoulder, nodding as they approached Cade and Tessa. Cade had a ballcap tucked over his eyes, and grabbed at the bill as if to secure it. He slyly used his little finger to point up to the corner, and Mira looked. Up, only to look away instantly. Security cameras.

"Tessa," she touched the girl's arm, "go wait outside with Merrick. I've got to make a call," Tessa nodded and handed Cade the food items, taking Merrick's hand and leading him outside. Mira touched Cade's arm and slipped him fifty dollars, "get some stuff for breakfast. I'll go make a call and freshen up," she looked to the counter, "the guy at the register looks like a dog. Don't get the wrong idea." She ended the conversation by squeezing his bicep with her fingertips, making it overly obvious to the clerk, and planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth, " we're going for a trucking family."

Cade gave her a curious stare below the ballcap, "What type of guy do you take me for?" he said sarcastically, with a smirk. She gave him and look and rolled her eyes. She swatted him playfully away, and he went down the aisle, scanning for food. She hurried to the restroom and locked the door behind her, slipping out her phone.

Grabbing the Shield from around her neck, she positioned it just outside the charging port of the Galaxy. It shifted into the appropriate cable-head, and Mira inserted it into the port. Instantly the line connected and secured, and she dialed Bryce. He picked up the first ring.

_"Mira!" _he sounded frantic, _"what in blazes is going on? You have me pull a Crosswinds and then you don't call me!" _She listened to him rant for a few moments, staring in the mirror and running some cold water. She plugged the sink with paper towels and then wet one, dabbing around her face and the back of her neck. He finally stopped to breath and she interjected.

"Something's happened, Bryce. I'm with Optimus," she hissed, "and the governments is after him. They tried to kill me, and Merrick. Something is going on," her voice dropped low, "where can you meet us?"

_"Meet you? What do you mean? Where are you?"_

She sighed, "I'm in Wyoming, almost at the border of Montana. Can you and 'Bee meet us somewhere at the border? We'll talk more then."

_"Yeah. I know a place. We'll get there and wait for you. Bumblebee will send coordinates. Heard from anyone else?"_

She could only assume he meant other Autobots. "No. Call me when you're at the border." She ended the call quickly when there was a knock on the door, and she quickly pooled water in her hands and washed her face, and her hair. Tying it back into its usual messy bun, she exited the restroom and found Cade waiting against the adjoining wall, grocery bag at hand. He looked up at her from under the ballcap and extended a hand.

"Come on, wifey. Let's hit the road." He led her out the door swiftly, where she found Merrick and Tessa sitting on the cement sidewalk running outside the building, munching on donuts and drinking apple juice. Cade and her took point, walking towards the semi, when all four of them froze.

It wasn't the semi she'd left, if the same semi at all. Mira wondered briefly if was even Optimus, and scanned the parking lot for his old form. She found no other semi's, only a minivan, and an Ford Escape. She almost dropped her phone when the doors popped open and Optimus' holoform was seated in the seat, one arm draped through the open window. He slipped a pair of generated sunglasses up from his eyes and into his hair and gestured for them to come.

Tessa and Merrick dashed for the updated vehicle, Cade approaching slowly. Mira just sat, amazed. It was a highly sophisticated Western Star, with six stacks running off the back and an extended sleeping cab. Mostly a deep, navy blue with screaming red flames, it was trimmed in sparkling silver chrome with a hood scoop. She'd never known Optimus to be one for flashy, but obviously he'd decided it was time for a bit of an upgrade. Only when everyone was loaded and comfortable, did she approach. At the truckside, she looked up into the cab: high tech, modified, and luxurious, her eyes widened at the deep, black leather interior finish and chrome lined gauges. The holoform gave her a small smile and extended a hand to her.

"I feel outdone," she touched her damp messy bun and straightened her glasses, then tucked her phone into her back pockets. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you always keep your promises." She took his hand and he pulled her into the cab effortlessly.

She seated herself and he jumped down from the cab, and he smiled up at her with gleaming eyes. With the new alternation mode must've come an upgraded holoform, because he was a different form than what "Cullen" had been. Taller, if possible, with broader shoulders and thicker arms. A blue and red leather jacket with an adjustable buckle-hem on the bottom, faded top-dollar blue jeans and black combat boots, with a black v-neck t-shirt. He proudly wore the Autobot insignia around his neck, which dangled from a silver chain, its shining glory only matched by the powerful iciness of his blue eyes. His hair was deep black-almost with a blue tinge. Surprisngly, he was unshaven with black stubble running along a strong jaw line and forming into a goatee around his mouth. He looked about Cade's age; forty, but a strong, military forty in comparison. If Mira hadn't known him to be Optimus Prime, the man would've taken her breath away and left her a swooning, schoolgirl mess of attraction. He smelled terrifically of grinding sparks, Energon...and Black Stetson aftershave. His smile was danergously attractive and caused his eyes to sparkle with life.

"You are never outdone, Mira. You are still more beautiful than a thousand constellations, my friend." He gave her a crooked half-smile, "Now let's roll." He thumped the door closed with a whisk and disappeared into the air on the breeze. She looked to Cade, who gave a curious look to her and then touched the steering wheel.

"Where'd you jack this from, Optimus?" Seatbelts clicked into place and Mira glanced behind her to see pilot seats directly behind her and Cade, one seating Tessa and the other Merrick, who was aglow with fascination. he looked to Mira, eyes wild with excitement.

"Cool, Mom!" She chuckled and reached behind her to pat his knee.

Optimus fired up the truck and shifted into reverse, the extravagant gearshift effortlessly gliding into place on the floor, "The form was running a load down the highway. I merely borrowed the idea."

"Merely is a generous adjective," Cade snorted, "You made the poor guy weep, I'm sure of it." They pulled back out onto the highway. Optimus got up to speed effortlessly, the truck riding smoothly, almost as if in a dream. Mira sat in amazement, hunger forgotten, taking in the cab. Of course she'd seen upgrades throughout the years...but good Primus!

"Mira," Optimus changed the subject, "I have received responding transmissions from the Autobots," he brought up a highly sophisticated See-All; one far different than the other. It was bigger, packed with more system readings and signatures, and he brought up the transmission feedings. She situated herself and fingered the Shield, watching as Optimus brought photographs of each Autobot up.

They split into categorized file listings; one following another. Each picture was of the alternation mode: one a Corvette racing model, another a Bugatti, and the last being an Oshkosh Defense tactical vehicle. Following each picture was a case-file, documented carefully with names, rank, class, and logs. A smile drifted onto Mira's lips as memories game washing over like a spring rain: her friends had returned, alive and well. Most of her friends, anyway.

"Well? What do they have to say?" Tessa, surpringly, asked from the backseat. Everyone in the cab looked to her and Optimus whisked away the information, bringing up a map with a marked location. Four blinking orbs, which Mira understood as the Autobots, were spread across the state of Montana, all headed for one location.

"They are regrouping," Optimus evaded the underlying question, "Bumblebee has sent coordinates for a secure rendezvous somewhere in the Montana wastelands. We should be there by evening."

Cade nodded, "In the meantime," he dug around the grocery bag and retrieved a screwdriver, a pliers, and a wire-cutter, "I managed to weasel these away from some of the mechanics in the truck shop," she gave her an apologetic looks, "cost me twenty bucks, but I should be ready to tear that gun apart and get us some information," The gun instantly slid across the dash to him, out of nowhere, thanks to Optimus.

"Perfect. Get on it and we'll see where we need to be," Mira concluded. She looked out the window to the horizon, seeing the miles of road ahead of them. Excitement buzzed through her body like nervous energy ready to explode as she realized for the first time in three years she'd be seeing the team she'd left behind-most of them. Again, she thought about telling Optimus about Ratchet, but decided now was not the best timing either.

...

Savoy glanced over his shoulder and scanned the bustling streets of Chicago around him, as if someone had the nerve to be following him into a safety zone. Not many outsiders found their way into the futuristically fashionable KSI megabuilding, but with what was happening these days, James wasn't taking any chances.

He stepped into the building, greeted by two jet-black haired model-grade hostesses waiting to take his jacket. He politely declined and approached the front desk, showed his badge, and was directed up the stairs by a woman with spiraling red hair and a Bluetooth. He nodded his thanks and stepped up the slim, attractive architecture, and made his way to the end of the hallway which branched off to the right before leading to another stairwell.

Attinger had asked him to meet him here at KSI, to converse with Joshua Joyce, owner and operator of the company, to discuss business. James could only assume this business as Seed business; the promising revolution that would land the world with an entire new line of science; and would land big money in Savoy's pockets. Assuming money was what he wanted. He didn't want money as much as Attinger did; he wanted blood and steel, which is what he would get.

This Seed, or promised revolution, would transform the world, he'd heard. It was capable of making the very metals the blasted aliens were made of; metal that could be manipulated and shifted; which is what Joyce was looking for in the best interest of his company, since he'd invested every dime he had in this place toward the cause to end all other causes. It would give them an entire millinia of Transformer metal to play with and sell; revolutionize armies and countries and worlds with. It was the breakthrough of the world, Joyce promised, and would make them all sickeningly rich.

Assuming rich was what the trio wanted.

This Seed, though highly fanaticized as it seemed, came only once the so-called check was cashed at the hands of the holder. Lockdown, the Cybertronian Neutral, had promised them one Seed to change their world for one Prime and one girl; a fair price for the revolution of science, he'd said. He wanted human help not to raise suspicion, he said. Really, like all men in the business of hunting, this Lockdown wanted all the work done for him at a price he was comfortable paying. James thought the entire scenario screamed of chaos, but he didn't really care.

At the end of the hallway. he stopped at the glass doors and tucked his special edition in the waist of his black cargo pants. He smoothed the trenchcoat around him and brushed the dust off one of the arms, then pulled open the huge French doors. A bald man in glasses, the infamous Joshua Joyce, was rapidly gesturing to a blueprint on his desk, an ignorant Attinger looking out the window with arms crossed and back to the company owner. James approached the oversized, futuristic desk, gave them his best playboy smile, and extended his hands.

"How's the party, gents?"

Attinger rolled his eyes and glared at him, "What have you got?"

"Not much," he shrugged and placed his fingertips on the desktop, then sunk his weight forward, "But Lockdown is getting concerned. He doesn't think we can handle the job."

"I can handle it," Attinger growled, "any movement with the girl?"

He shrugged, "Haven't gotten anything. She's off the grid," he sighed, frustrated, "she disappeared. But, Lockdown's got his suspicions as to what the Prime has up his sleeve, you could say. We're basically camping out."

Attinger mumbled, "You assume by "camping out" this is a vacation," he turned on his heel, "the President and the White House administration is getting cold-feet. We have to get moving on this, otherwise we'll lose our funding and our authority."

Savoy gave him a smile, "Don't worry. Every hunter has to wait for his prey to settle down and make a move more or less stupid," he shrugged a shoulder, "we're waiting. I saw the look in Lennox's eye' she's not gunna stay down for long. Before you know it we'll have a lock, and your Seed. Just be patient."

"I'm not a patient man,"

Savoy gave him a wicked, somewhat luscious stare as passion roared in his eyes. Attinger, obviously taken aback by the stare, straightened his tie nervously and reached into his breastpocket, pulling out a hankie. Joyce left the office, not saying a word to the two authority figures, cell phone to his ear. Savoy chuckled.

"You're not a hunter."


	18. The Warriors of the Stars--Ark Entry 3

**Author's Note**

**The Ark, 1508**

* * *

I stand at the bridge, hands behind my back; forever a sheepish bystander of the events which captivated everyone aboard our Ark. As the trail of sparkling debris followed closely behind the comet, some two miles away, it left a shining array of shadow behind it across the mess of space around us. The charged on in sorry pursuit to the astoundingly magnificent force of space, all of us quiet as we observed the streak of beauty rush by us; with a whirlwind of force so strong you could feel it tug the Ark slightly off course. Naturally, Teletraan-1 refused the beckon, and stayed strong.

Considering the events left behind on Earth some few weeks ago, the sight of the comet streaking by was a reassurance to these warriors-these men in grief over the loss of comrades, perhaps with them longer than the name Autobots. This comet, I assumed, was the symbol to them of their fellow soldiers who had lost their lives on Earth; forever carrying on the cause with a strong force, pulling them close as they departed across the stars, encouraging them on their journey forward. I hung my head as the hushed silence grew forbearing.

I wondered how they must've felt-losing their friends in the name of freedom for Earth. I could see on their faces the hatred toward my kind, the resentment they possessed towards my presence here among the stars with them, in their Ark. However strong their hatred to my kind may be, I still adore them. They are perhaps more family to me than most humans.

I reach up, and touch the glass of the Ark; not really a glass at all, just a transparent substance one would find aboard a fictional spaceshuttle, one that moved and rippled at any form of touch. My palmprint melted into the substance, perhaps stealing a bit more of me than just my identity. I closed my eyes and wished the comet safe and long travel; perhaps more of a wish for my friends than for the comet itself.

As the comet faded away into outer space, the Autobots aboard began to disperse. They hurried back to their stations; back to their lifecycle of work, soldiering, and planning. Drift and Crosshairs nodded to me politely before they left the bridge, the doors closing behind them. The only ones remaining in the bridge were Optimus Prime and I, Optimus at the helm of the vessel, staring into the starry sky amiss with puzzling constellations, unfamiliar to me now as we traveled farther. I made my way back to the platform which overlooked the helm, grabbing onto one of the lower railings with a hand. Far too huge to fully grasp, I rested my wrist over the top and crossed my right foot over the other, staring down at him from my standing position. I was watching him a good two minutes before he felt it, and he looked up at me with a confused expression. I hadn't noticed I was smiling.

"You're smiling," he said seriously, "why?"

I shrugged a shoulder overdramatically, "I good scene," I replied, "a Commander commandeering his vessel, so proudly and so wisely. You're quite a sight, standing there, even when you don't mean to be."

He looked away, tone still serious, "It is a serious moment."

I got serious too as I stuck my hands into my pockets and began making my way down to the helm. It was so quiet between us a moment that my footfalls echoed off the Ark's emptiness, until I stopped beside him and gazed out the window. "I know."

"I will greatly miss the company of lost comrades," he gave his attention to me and then nodded in the direction which the comet had last been visible, "their presence is still so strong it is unbelievable."

'It always will be," I nodded slightly, "...that's why you can say they are your friends: they leave a lasting impression; steal a place inside your heart that's still there even when they aren't. It's called friendship."

"They were brothers," he said quietly.

I smiled softly up to him. "...and sometimes it's called brotherhood."

* * *

**Sending Transmission:**

_Since I keep receiving reviews with the same question, I've decided to address the ponderings most of you seem to share._

_ Michael Bay may have extinguished the lives of Ratchet and other comrades in Age of Extinction, but the characters still remain alive and true in our hearts, and to the war of the stars. While they are presently gone, they are forever alive within us...captivating us continually by their presence inside our hearts by their absence in the flesh. _

_ There is a rule about writing that many don't know, one that I have come to realize slowly throughout my career of college student, fanfiction authoress, and poet. That rule is to keep your character line manageable. Only have as many as necessary, otherwise it gets far too difficult to add them in. So, since there are many characters for Age of Extinction and the Uprising, I've decided to stay true to Bay's work and incorporate only the characters mentioned in the movie. Sideswipe, Prowl, and the others will have to take a backseat to this war, and encourage me simply by their absence. _

_ I know this will upset you...but in the long run, it's better this way. I'd rather leave these beloved comrades out altogether than incorporate them and never use them. I hope I broke this to you easy and you all won't be disheartened. We have plenty of characters to love and develop as this story goes on, as well as new ones to understand and appreciate. _

_ In Honor, _

_Miriam (Andromeda Prime)_


	19. Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

...

_Welcome to Montana-The Treasure State_

The sign, mounted proudly on a hill beside the interstate, brought a tingling sensation through Mira's body that she could only discern as excitement. Her eyes scanned the horizon, seeing nothing but rolling hills and stretches of pavement leading into the grand state. She wondered where Bryce was and how far they were from the other Autobots.

She wondered what would happen when they reunited, if there would be mounted hostility and hesitancy? Mira prayed that there would be memorial peace that they once had shared as a team, as friends. She loved the Autobots as if they were her family; they _were _her family. She couldn't bear the thought of them being angry with her and having to start all over; reestablishing new trust and friendship. The thought brought waves of emotionally turmoil through her.

Cade sat proudly in the driver's seat, eyes on the horizon as well. Mira concluded that he was a good man; he was strong and had spunk, but he was wise. She liked his upbeat and optimistic personality; the way his eyes sparkled when he had a challenge. He'd vowed to take apart the Baretta when they met up with Bryce and he could have a stable work station, and she could tell by the way he set his jaw and his eyes sprinkled with life that he meant it to his very core. She watched him a moment, eyes shaded by his ball cap; he was very much unlike Will, but at the same time he carried a strange familiarity, one that intrigued her. She realized her heart-rate had picked up and she quickly shifted in her seat to find Tessa absorbed with the outside world rolling by in a small window beside her.

The girl had grief, but strength. She was very grown-up for her age, Mira decided; and very well advanced in the ways of the world. The death of a mother had to have brought maturity in its wake: this girl had to learn everything about life either by herself, or through a man's perspective. Mira was suddenly extremely grateful for her mother, and silently praised for Tessa for her maturity, and grace. She couldn't imagine a life of just growing up with a man to teach you the ways of the world. Tessa had turned out a raging beauty, and she and life and zest.

Merrick, on the other hand, was busy with a coloring book which had obviously made its way into his backpack of treasures. The picture was of a muscle car, predominately blue with green pinstripes, and he was feverishly working on the tires and windshield in a deep black. Tongue placed between his lips in deep concentration, he was the epitome of youthful innocence and curiosity. Mira realized there was a bit of child within him still, and that grief had not entirely overtaken her small man in the making. A small smile pulled at her lips, and she reached up to touch the Shield, which had resolved to keep a warmth in the presence of its keeper, Optimus Prime.

"You really worry about that thing, don't you?" Cade asked from beside her, genuinely. Mira could almost feel Optimus perk up at the question, feeling the electrifying tension of his awaiting her response fill that atmosphere, and her being. She looked out the windshield, then rested her arm along the window, tapping her fingers against the black vinyl, then slowly running her fingertips down the smooth, updated interior before she nodded slightly and gave Cade a look, which raised his brows, surprisingly.

"It's my job to worry about the Shield. If I didn't, well, then I wouldn't be a very good charge then, would I?" Cade smiled at her and Tessa unbuckled, then knelt between their two seats and looked at the device around Mira's neck at mention of the topic.

"It's beautiful," she said, "Is it really that small?"

Mira removed the Shield from around her neck and fingered it between her thumb and index finger before extending it to Tessa. Optimus, for the first time in awhile, lighted the radio-a very advanced system that looked straight out of a science fiction novel, and replied to Tessa's question. "No," he began, "the Shield, in equivalence to Cybertronian's, is by right a larger size," Mira nodded in agreement, "but since humans are a great deal smaller than my people, the Shield...configured itself into a more manageable size."

Mira touched Tessa's shoulder, the comfort the girls obvious loss of understanding, "In English it means it transformed down to my size," she touched it with a fingertip.

Tessa nodded in understanding, "Cool." She handed it back to Mira, and she extended it to Cade, as he was eyeing it the entire conversation, "isn't it cool, Dad?"

He nodded slowly, "It's warm,"

Mira smiled, "That's because its energy senses the Matrix of Leadership nearby-which resides within Optimus' sparkchamber."

He examined it awhile longer before Optimus broke the silence, "We've received a transmission from Hound," he referenced an Autobot who'd traveled to Earth after the Chicago War, an older mech stuck in the Ancient Wars; preferring primitive fighting tactics than the more updated ones Optimus often used. He was a all-guts-no-glory, all-braun-no-brains type of fighter; trigger happy and dirty-mouthed. Some would go so far to say that Hound was foil, but his loyalty and strength to the Autobot cause was genuine; and Mira respected him for his bravery. "and coordinates from Bumblebee,"

Mira smiled and shifted her weight in the seat excitedly, "About time!" she stated, overdramatically, "let's hear the transmission."

Optimus played the transmission through the radio, the loud revving of an engine and rumblings of a Defense vehicle obviously evident through the message. She could almost see the rumbling giant now; a mess of mass weight and weapons, rolling on less than gracefully.

_" 'Ey, Princess, haven't heard your pretty voice for awhile! 'Bout time you made yourself known," _everyone was quiet until they decided to chuckle, Merrick's eyes dangerously glued to the radio. He looked to Mira as the transmission continued, "_...where you and the boss been hiding all this time? Assumin' you're bringing the Big Boss with you," _Mira chuckled now, "_We got coordinates from 'Bee, if you can believe that. Me and Dumb and Dumber here are en-route now. Couldn't keep away from the head hauncho's any longer, guess you could say. We'll see you in a bit. Hound out."_

Mira reached for her phone, "Well then. Sounds like Hound has Drift and Crosshairs along with him for the ride," the thought brought laughter to her bones, and she shook her head, "that 'outta be interesting."

Optimus was all seriousness, as usual, "Bumblebee sent us coordinates from the Northern Montana Prairies," he continued, "about an hour from here. It's not too far, and it will be secluded. His energy signatures is a safe distance from any type of civilization, so we will not be noticed."

Cade settled into his seat, "Alright then. Sounds like a deal."

Mira nodded, "I'll call Bryce and tell him we have the coordinates. You doing okay, Optimus?" The entire cab's occupants looked at her as if she'd sprouted antlers, and she gave them all her best motherly look. This brought a chuckle from Optimus as the windows on all sides of the vehicle rolled down, allowing a perfect wind to catch the tendrils of curls around her face.

"That isn't even a question, Mira."

She let her hand catch on the waves of air out the window and she smiled into the side mirror, "It made you chuckle, so it was worth asking." She then dialed Bryce and put the phone to her ear.

...

Such space the Northern Montana Praires provided housed enough serenity and peace for Drift to process his inner thoughts and emotions, especially at such a moment as this. He reviewed the transmission from Miriam Lennox, the "Princess of Cybertron," as the others had started calling her, and found an odd emotion settling in the chamber of his spark, one that he had not experienced in these three years being departed from Optimus Prime and the rest of the team. It was a sensation that sent warmth spreading through his circuitry, mixed with buzzing excitement rooted deep into the Energon flowing through his being.

He found hope.

...

Crosshairs had never been one for "teamwork".

He found teamwork was annoyingly weak and needy; exceptionally pathetic and lacking; and extremely fragile to the point of frustration for that matter. It always ended up having to be protected and prolonged; and it lacked power and the requirement for strength. For some he realized teamwork required no need for brains.

He had to admit, though, he was more of a loner than most Autobots would care to admit, a trait that put him low on the chain of command, as well as the chain for operations. He didn't mind working alone. Crosshairs worked for himself first, Autobots second. His..._loyalty _to Optimus Prime was willed by himself; allowed only because of his long for Cybertron's restoration.

And teamwork, apparently, was what was needed to restore Cybertron.

...

Hound was not a patient mech.

He'd never claimed to be patient; patience didn't award anyone anything. It was fruitless and pointless. Patience had been what destroyed Cybertron; patience to see what would happen politically, patience to see who would arise first. Hound hated waiting, and waiting seemed to hate him too. He was okay with his lack of the quality.

Strangely though, these three years of waiting for Optimus to return was being awarded. He hated the idea of being wrong almost as much as he hated waiting. But, as fate would rear her scandelous head, he would wait for his Commander to return with battle plans and figure out what they were going to do about these hunting humans and get themselves collected.

Because Primus knew Optimus was the only one who would have a plan.

...

Optimus had not lied earlier when he'd warned them of a bumpy off-road experience.

The four of them bounced around the cab in their seats as if they were bouncy balls, Merrick loving the entire off-road ride, and Mira nothing but a laughing mess of excited hollers and encouragement. Cade and Tessa were enjoying themselves too; Mira noticed, all smiles and laughter.

Their pursuit if the Autobots rendezvous location had left them with no choice but to abandon the pavement, and take to the prairie. Optimus' truck was less than graceful as he maneuvered the hills and bumps almost expertly, his lack of geography seemingly not a problem to their journey. Mira could only laugh and shake her head as they roared on, continually gaining ground as the locator on the See-All counted down the miles, until they were inches and feet and yards.

Excitement fueled Mira like fire. It had all but taken over her body now and continually forced her heartbeat to pick up. She could only hope the others were as excited to see her. Bryce would be, she assumed, because his lack of human involvement was astounding and he would perhaps benefit from having interaction. He too hadn't seen Merrick in a great deal of time, and she hoped the boy remembered his Uncle.

Finally, on the horizon, Mira could make out a barrage of vehicles through all the bumping and bouncing movement. There were three vehicles, and one air vehicle; she assumed it was a helicopter; one of Drift's triple-changing forms. She rolled down the window and undid her seatbelt, much to the others' disapproval, and stood, sticking her head out the window and breathing in a deep breath of dust, prairie air, and freedom.

Optimus saw them too, and let out a loud, long air horn blow to call recognition to them. Mira watched as the helicopter gracefully lifted into the air and thrummed towards them quickly. The Defense vehicle and a low-profile Corvette roared out of their stationary positions, kicking up dust and rocks as they took off. One roared to the left, the other to the right, spinning cookies and making ruts. Crosshairs, the green and black Corvette, came out of a cookie in a drift, then tossed himself into a Transformation so hasty Mira was almost willing to chastise him. His Cybertronian form appeared, and he walked out of his dust cloud, bearing two guns and a look of pure and total relief to his Commander's return. His trench coat was over dramatic, as were the intensity of his optics, but Mira didn't care.

She waved to him as Optimus rumbled on towards the last stationary vehicle, another muscle car, pre '60's-a black with yellow accents Camaro, none other than Bumblebee. Crosshairs acknowledged her with a proud nod. She tossed her attention the other direction, where Hound; the hefty Defense, was transformed into his weighty frame and spitting rounds into the air at their arrival, the prairie grass seeming to wave in welcoming glory as the heavy breeze tousled it. He was laughting heartily, almost like Santa Clause at Christmastime. Mira shook her head at him and slipped back into the truck, and he saluted her respectfully. She looked out the window to the sky, where Drift was thrumming overhead of them, as if escorting them back home like royalty.

"Gangs all here," she chimed lightly, looking to the radio, "alive and well, I see."

Optimus agreed, "It would appear that way."

Merrick appeared on her lap suddenly in a flash of childish energy, hands pressing into the door, head sticking out the window. Mira grabbed him by the back of the pants and kept him stable. His excitement was evident by the redness of his cheeks and the sparkling of his eyes, and of course the trembling of his little body. His six-year-old curiosity was brought alive by his overly loud question: "_Mom! _You _know _these guys!?"

Mira laughed, "Yes, yes I do, hon." she nuzzled her nose into his hair and breathed in his scent, smiling.

The windows began to roll up and Merrick lowered himself back into her lap, with a depressed shrug. He slipped off her lap and stood between the driver and passenger seat, hands braced on the backs of both seats. Tessa was kneeling behind them, eyes forever focused on the horizon and pure awe seizing her eyes like violent captors. Cade had pushed the bill of his ballcap back on his head slightly and was staring at Drift, who'd begun to land in front of them.

"Brace yourselves," Optimus suddenly awakened the cab from their dormant captivation.

The gearshift downshifted, and the emergency brake activated, the truck's tired locking in place and the wheel rapidly turning to the left. The truck began to drift, the back end coming around to the right, kicking up dirt rapidly which crackled against the finish of the cab. Merrick was screaming with joy, both Mira and Cade's arms wrapped protectively around the child. Optimus counter-corrected, the truck slamming itself back into place and whipping them around again, using velocity to right itself. They came to a screeching hault before the Camaro, where a familiar stocky figure was leaning against the driver's side front fender, looking at his boots, less than impressed.

There was serenity a moment as the seat-belts unclicked and the doors opened. All four of them dropped out of the cab quickly, Cade bringing out the backpacks. Excitement still fueled Mira's veins like wildfire. She jogged around the front of the truck, Merrick's hand in hers, stopping when she saw Bryce. Her heart hammered at the sight of her brother and she ran for him.

"Bryce," he stood now and opened his arms for her, she doing the same and entering into his welcoming embrace. His arms enclosed around her, thick walls of protecting muscle, and he rubbed her back in brotherly affection. "I've missed you."

His deep baritone chuckled and she felt it in his chest. "I missed you too, sis." They parted and Merrick stepped between them, looking up to the monster of his uncle, who looked down and grinned toothily at him. Mira knelt behind Merrick and grabbed his shoulders gently, whispering into his ear.

"You remember your uncle Bryce, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Hi Uncle Bryce!" he sang like a canary. Bryce laughed deeply, bending to pick up the small child in his thick, well built arms. He swung the boy up and placed him on his hip and planted an overly dramatic kiss on his cheek in welcome.

"Well, hey there, Scout," he referred to Merrick with the nickname he'd given the boy upon his birth, "Look at you! You've grown at least four inches since I saw you last!" Merrick began to furiously laugh as Bryce buried his thick, calloused fingers into his tender belly in a feverish attempt to tickle the boys joy out of him. Mira stood now, laughing, and turned to look over her shoulder at Cade and Tessa. Cade his two hands placed firmly on Tessa's shoulders as he towered over her, ever the protecting pillar of protection for his girl. Mira smiled at him and jerked her head over in a gesture to come.

Cade walked around Tessa, clapped an encouraging hand on her shoulder, and they approached. Mira looked beyond them, past the truck, to where Crosshairs and Hound were still headed towards them in a slow, lumbering walk, silent. Mira turned her attention back to the group of people and looked at Bryce, who had focused on Tessa and Cade. Merrick was still in his arm, silent and watching.

"Okay," Mira sighed, "Cade, Tessa, this is my younger brother, Bryce Savage." She gestured between the two of them then on her brother, "He's an active participant in the Autobot cause." She smiled at them.

Cade nodded once firmly, and extended a hand, "Well, Mira seems to know what she's doing, so I trust you do too. Nice to meet you, I'm Cade Yeager. My daughter, Tessa."

Bryce set Merrick down to the ground, wrapping his huge hand around the boy's small one. "A friend of Mira's is a friend of mine. Nice to meet you." Then, he politely looked to Tessa and nodded, "Ma'am."

She smiled at him and nodded gracefully. "Good to meet you."

Mira then turned and faced the truck, where he still sat, dormant, waiting a reunion. Mira then extended a hand to gesture to him and then smiled at Bryce widely. "And you remember Optimus, naturally."

Bryce's eyes widened and he scratched his stubbly chin, "Well, yeah, but in such shape? Prime, holy! You...you look good, man."

The doors closed. Then there was a click, an internal shifting of gears, and then suddenly he split apart and began to transform before their very eyes. For the first time in his new form, he shifted and turned and parted and slipped, Mira's eyes following the fullness of his armor as his shape took place.

He was entirely different. His shoulders were broader and more armored, his legs thicker, face fuller. His blues were deeper, perhaps more commanding and majestic than she remembered. Optimus Prime had grown in age, stature, and appearance; he had matured here on Earth to be more of a commander than a guest-he was seasoned. His optics seemed icier; colder than they had before, perhaps with resentment? Mira's heart dropped slightly when she saw the scowl on his face, which had been somewhat evident in his voice-it took away from his handsome, honorable aura. She swallowed thickly at the intenseness the new from brought, and while she somewhat liked the physicality of his upgrades, she did not like the emotional change at all.

Optimus stepped forward and then took a knee before them, the earth rumbling as his weight hit the earth. Mira stepped backwards, as did Cade, Tessa, and Merrick. Bryce released Merrick's hand and stared up at Prime, his eyes disbelieving. Mira could see the relief, the manly affection for her mentor returning. He was intensely loyal to Optimus, and perhaps grateful for him when it came to her. His duty as brother was somewhat lessened when Optimus was around. "Optimus."

"Bryce." Optimus stated firmly. "Good to see you are well."

Bryce nodded firmly, like a man to his friend. "I am. You're looking good."

"I am well, thank you."

Mira stepped between them and looked up at Optimus. "It's good to see the family together again," she whispered to them. Both of them looked to her, then each other. Bryce then looked beyond Optimus, to the other three which had stopped slightly behind Prime. Drift had somehow taken form silently when they were busy reunioning, and stood between Hound and Crosshairs, hands atop the grip of his samurai sword as the blade dipped into the earth. Crosshairs had his arms crossed, his armor falling into a trenchcoat behind him, a smirky look on his face. Hound held a gun; the barrel resting on his shoulder, hand gripping the grip securely.

Optimus noticed Bryce stare, and stood to his full height before turning around. It was as if in slow motion on a movie screen, his turn. Optimus stopped to face his comrades; his team, his friends, a warmth spreading over Mira and sending goosebumps up and down her body. Cade stepped up beside her, Tessa on the other side of Bryce beside Merrick, reaching down to take his hand. The five of them watched, waiting.

There was silence between the Cybertronians, a reverence perhaps that was long forgotten in the absence of their leader; their Prime. The breeze on the prairie whipped the tall grass, which was knee-high to the humans, the sky an open blue above them. There was open air around them. Mira could've sworn her heartbeat was audible to the entire group, but resolved it wasn't when no one brought it up. She waited, almost on pins and needles, to see who would speak first. Realizing she was holding her breath, she silently released it and bit her lower lip in anticipation.

"Autobots," Optimus was the first to strike the air with speech. They looked to him, stiff. Bumblebee was still the Camaro Bryce had left, and Optimus looked at his form. Bumblebee, apparent of his Commander's stare, threw himself into rapid transformation. In a moment, his form took place and he stood now to the right of Optimus. He watched his Prime carefully, then blinked and then extended a hand to Optimus, as if to shake it. Optimus turned and took Bumblebee's hand and shook it once, but firmly.

_"Good to see you again, Star Commander," _Bumblebee communicated through the radio and internet, due to lack of vocodor, which Ratchet had failed to repair upon his death. Grief struck Mira like an arrow to the heart; if only he and Ironhide and Wreckers were here to reunite with them, oh would the heaven's have collided! She wished with everything in her they were here, but knew wishing would never bring them back; a lesson she'd learned the hard way.

Optimus gave a smile and chuckled, hand still in Bumblebee's. "It is good to see you are well, Bumblebee. It has been a long while." Then, what surprised Mira, was that Optimus pulled Bumblebee forward. Using his free hand to wrap the bot into a one-armed hug, he slapped the bot's back plating affectionately. Bumblebee stepped back when Optimus had finished, and Mira smiled at their bond. She knew Bumblebee was somewhere along the lines of Optimus' pupil, and dear friend. Perhaps a memory of innocence that had once been Cybertron.

Optimus then turned to the other soldiers, awaiting their recognition and reunion. "Autobots," he began again, "It seems fate would have us reunited yet again. I am pleased to see you all well and in good programming, for these days are dark." He stepped towards them. "I thank you for your recognition of Mira's transmission," he looked down to Mira. "As I am sure she appreciates."

Mira stepped up beside him, arms crossed over her chest. Cocking a hip slightly as she usually did, she nodded to them. "Autobots. Good to see you again."

They looked down to her. Crosshairs seemed less than pleased to recognize her presence, and looked back to Optimus after beholding her. "See you're still up and kicking, Princess. You're alive, I guess that's what matters." She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Hello to you too, Crosshairs," she muttered, then smiled at Drift, who looked at her like he was beholding a majestic rose or some other beauty. "Drift, my friend! Good to see you've survived these two ruffians," she gestured to Hound and Crosshairs, "I hope they haven't murdered your sense of zen and peace?"

He chuckled quietly, his deep voice resonating like thunder in a clear sky, "No, they have not, Miriam. They are much like fire; dangerous and destructive, but necessary." He bent at the waist to look at her and winked, "And I am strong, like the wind, which can influence the path of flame."

Mira smiled and nodded to him, reaching up to touch his goatee, which was compiled of a triangle of sparkling, Cybertronian metals. "I knew you'd keep them reigned in, ninja."

He stood. "Just as I knew you would watch over Optimus." He looked to Prime and nodded, "Sensei."

Optimus nodded to him as well, "Drift."

Mira then turned to Hound, who puffed his cigar and didn't bother to look down to her, a horrible feign of ignorance to her presence. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him, giving her best mother/senior officer stare. "Hound, after all this time you _still_ have the gall to ignore me?"

He lowered the cigar into the corner of his mouth and looked down to her, lowering the weapon from his shoulder to bend and inspect her. "'Eyo, Princess," he whistled a cat-call type blow and she rolled her eyes. Hound had always found some sick enjoyment in playing the "she's a woman" card, "Still as pretty as ever. Howya been, doll?"

She rolled her eyes at him again, "Enough with the flattery, Hound. You know it gets you nowhere." her resolve was shattered with a smile and a chuckle when she crossed her arms in front of her, trying desperately to hold on to any remainder of her superiority.

"It gets you broilin', and that's somewhere, pretty." He took a knee, the overly round plating around his abdomen-fat, she had long ago called it-keeping him from bending any farther to see her at optic-level, "Howya been, Mira?"

She spun on her heel. "Good. I see you're well." She turned back to Optimus and jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the three of them and sighed, "Look at these guys, they haven't matured _at all_." Optimus gave her a small smile and then Bumblebee stepped into their reunion circle. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him and then turned to face him full-on. Smiling wildly at him, Bumblebee's brows rose and joy beamed through his optics.

_"Well I'll be," _he changed channels, "_How...are you...beautiful?" _Unable to find her name, as usual, he referred to her with the adjective she liked best. It sounded genuine from Bumblebee, even if it was a radio broadcast, because it was met with genuine optics and an always curious face which only Bumblebee could pull off.

She laughed, "I'm fine, Bumblebee. Yourself?"

He clapped his hands and then waved her off, shaking his head as if to say "don't worry about me". She smiled at him and nodded in understanding. Then, she faced her family and newfound friends, who were all awe-inspired face in the presence of new Autobots and allies. Merrick, she noticed, had entered the middle of the half circle, staring up at all of the new, unfamiliar bots with wide eyes and an open mouth, agape with wonder and disbelief. Mira hurried to his side and stood behind him, hands on his shoulders, and gently pulled him back to rest against her legs. Looking up to the Autobots, she smiled at them and then ruffled Merrick's hair.

"Guys," she said carefully, "you remember Merrick?"

Crosshairs wrinkled his nose, "Yeah. He was a little...ball of wetness last time I saw him." Drift gave him a disapproving stare and socked him a little roughly in the shoulder. Crosshairs glared at him and shifted his weight on his feet. "Well, he was!"

"Don't be rude," Drift said carefully, "he is the son of our blossom, remember." Drift then turned to Merrick and stepped forward, the ground trembling. Sheathing his sword in his back plating, he took a knee before Merrick and extended a hand for the boy. Merrick just stared at him and then the hand, then looked up at Mira. She smiled and nodded, releasing him.

He stepped forward, tenderly, as if Drift was a snake going to strike him. Then, finally, he touched Drift's hand with his own and looked into the face of the samurai, who was nothing but a gentle mech, as if he were tending to a blossom instead of a boy. Drift then gestured with his head to his hand and wiggled his fingers impatiently, almost excitedly, "Climb up, boy. Let me be the one to introduce you to those you may have forgotten."

Merrick looked to Mira, who nodded again. "He won't drop you, I promise," she whispered dramatically, wrinkling her nose and waving him on. She gave a look to Optimus, who smiled at her as if he was the father. Mira then looked up as Drift carefully helped her son into his palm, where his legs came up under him so he was sitting on his knees. She swallowed in anticipation and her heart hammered...Will would've been proud to witness this moment.

Suddenly, Cade stepped up beside her. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched, then leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Friends, right?"

She nodded. "An understatement," she whispered back and gestured with her head. "They came after the Chicago War. They went into hiding shortly after we met. I got to know them somewhat."

"They seem...rough around the edges."

Mira snickered. "Only at first. They're mostly teddy bears when it comes to us," she shrugged, "they're wonderfully loyal and gentle. They try."

There was quiet for a moment before Drift settled into the center of the circle. Mira caught sight of Merrick's face before she was unable to see it: it was pure amazement and anticipation, and joy. She'd never seen him beam to brightly with childlike innocence and curiosity. If only Will couldn't seen him. Drift began the introductions, and Tessa and Cade perked up to catch all the names.

"Son," Drift began, as if he were going to regal them with a Japanese proverb of wisdom, "You may not remember these ones who know you through your mother," he looked down to Mira, who nodded with a smile, "but these are Autobots, friends and allies banded together again to fight beside our leader," he looked to Optimus, "and our Princess." He looked to Mira. Merrick looked down and wrinkled his brow at the nickname and shook his head.

"My mom is _not _a Princess,"

This sent the group in a round of chuckles, "Maybe not," Hound said with the rough gentility of a weathered and seasoned soldier of war, "but she is to us."

Merrick sighed.

Drift chuckled lightly and nodded to Hound, "That, is Hound. He is our technical specialist and weapons coordinator."

Merrick beamed. "He's huge!"

Hound frowned, the cigar in his mouth dropping. Bumblebee began to beep and quirk, and the rest of them began to laugh heartily, especially Crosshairs who reached out to slap Hound on the shoulder good-naturedly, "Just like his mother! Atta boy!"

Hound pointed a finger at the little boy, "Don't learn too much from yer ma, ya here, boy? I ain't fat-I'm built." Mira snorted and clapped a hand over her mouth quickly. Hound glared at her playfully and then waved her off. Looking to Prime, he frowned, "I can't win."

Drift sighed, "Don't take everything so personally, my friend," he then pointed to Crosshairs, "that is Crosshairs. He is a paratrooper, as well as a sniper." Merrick looked over Crosshairs a minute and smiled at him before chuckling haughtily.

"Cool."

Crosshairs seemed impressed, the winked and whipped a pointed index finger at him, "Atta boy there, young Merrick."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Great. Just what he needs."

Drift shook his head and then moved his hand in front of himself, then bowed slightly to Merrick. "I am Drift. I am an agent of reconnaissance, stealth, and espionage." Mira stepped up beside his foot and called up to Merrick.

"He's a Samurai, Merrick," she winked, "Sort of like a ninja."

Merrick's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. _"Really_?"

Drift nodded humbly. "Yes, your mother is correct."

Merrick did a little happy dance and pulled his arm down at his side as if pulling on a train horn, "Awesome!" Then, before Mira could put another word in edgewise, her son began to chant: "Do something! Do something!" Mira's eyes widened.

"Drift," she warned cautiously. His deliberation did not cease to play on his face, and before she knew what was happening, he turned his palm over and literally dropped her son. He began to scream and fall through the air, and Drift dropped a shoulder, rolled, and pounced back up, catching the boy gracefully as Mira began to see the white of his eyes. Her heart didn't have time to react, so she stumbled forward, stomach doing somersaults. The entire group relaxed as Drift nodded once to Merrick, who had stopped screaming and regained his composure. Drift lowered his hand and Merrick slid off, then ran up to Mira who dropped to a knee to receive him in a hug. She gave a cautious eye to Drift. The Decepticon-turned-Autobot master of swords nodded to her as if to tell her he wouldn't ever think of harming her son, much less her or any other human.

"Cool, Mom! Did you see, did you see, did you?!" He was literally jumping up and down, now overly thrilled and excitement to almost becoming a human pancake. Mira sighed and closed her eyes and nodded.

"I saw, yes."

He stopped his bouncing when he caught sight of Bumblebee, "Who's that?"

Mira smiled and turned on her knees to face Bumblebee, nodded to him and then gesturing for Merrick to approach. "That is Bumblebee. He is Optimus' lieutenant," Merrick wrinkles his brow at this, and Mira shrugged a shoulder, "he's...like a second in command," she whispered, careful so no one else would hear for fear of stirring up jealousy among the ranks. She shot a look over to Cade, smiling, and he nodded to her, giving a very cute, half smile. Her heart jerked in her chest like all women's did perhaps, and she looked away.

Merrick, then turning to her, crossed his arms and gave her a pouty-face. "And you didn't tell me any of this?"

She shrugged a shoulder, then wrinkled her brow, "Merrick Elijah-"

"He's got a point, Miriam," Bryce piped up from behind her. She tossed him a glare that told him he'd better man up and get behind his older sister as the responsible uncle. He chuckled and waved her off and took his place beside Bumblebee.

Hound was the next to speak, looking to Optimus. "So, Boss. Not to break of the family reunion...but what's goin' on? Why the big shin-dig and get together?"

Mira looked up to Optimus, who looked past him team into the horizon, the sky beginning to darken in welcoming the evening. Shades of color began to paint onto the canvas of the earth and he said nothing for a long moment. Mira stood, took Merrick's hand, and led him back over to Cade and Tessa, who were quiet in the face of introduction.

Crosshairs raised the next question, stepping towards them, then pulling out a automatic weapon and leveling it at Cade and Tessa, a scowl painting his face. Tessa gasped and took an overly rushed step back, her foot catching on a rock and sending her to her bottom in the prairie grass. Cade stepped between the gun and his daughter, and glared up at Crosshairs, who looked upset. "It'll go through both of you, don't worry." He said lowly.

Mira, surprised at his audacity, stepped between the blaster and Cade, touching the weapon and pushing it aside. Crosshairs, shooting a look to Optimus who now stared at him disapprovingly; ever reminding Crosshairs who was in charge, lowered the weapon and put it away. "Don't ever do that again, Cross," she sneered at him, "that's an order."

He looked to Prime, who looked back to the sky as if that was it. He grumbled. "Just wathchin' out for us. Princess. Humans these days..."

"Remember who you are addressing," Optimus said from his position sternly.

Crosshairs sighed. "Who are they?" He decided to cut to the chase and not get himself deeper into the hole he was already in. He eyed them cautiously and gestured to them behind Mira. "Friends of yours? Hubby? Boyfriend, what?"

Appalled, she tossed a look to Cade and Tessa and then back to him, "No. They are friends. Cade and Tessa Yeager," she gestured to them and then the other Autobots. "If you guys didn't catch them all, that's Crosshairs." she briskly moved past him and then gestured to Drift, "Drift, and Hound. Bumblebee," he nodded to the Camaro, "Bumblebee is Bryce's guardian. The rest...they are Optimus' soldiers, and most trusted friends of mine,"

Cade and Tessa nodded. "Pleasure to meet all of you," Tessa said, almost a bit sarcastically. Mira looked to Bryce, where Merrick was hugging his leg tightly, looking up to his uncle affectionately. Then she looked to Cade. He smiled at her and shrugged.

"Like I said, friends of Mira's are friends of mine. Nice to meet you guys." He waved at them in a salute and crossed his arms over his chest.

Mira chuckled, then looked at Tessa, who looked a bit frightened at the realization of their towering height, "You have nothing to fear from them..." she reassured, and her voice trailed. Then, she turned on her heel and crossed her arms across her chest and gave them her best fake-disgusted look.

"Nothing but their comments."

They all laughed.


	20. Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

**...**

Evening was growing into night by the time Mira found the courage to do what she'd been thinking about doing for two days. It was all a matter of timing now.

It wouldn't be easy, telling Optimus about Ratchet and the Wreckers. It wasn't easy to think about. It twisted her guts every time she thought about hearing Ratchet's voice; seeing his spark ripped mercilessly out of his chest as if he'd been nothing. He had been nothing to Lockdown, just a trophy. Just a source of information to get what he wanted. But, he'd been something to Mira and her friends, her family. The thought twisted around her head like a venomous snake sinking its fangs into her emotions.

Tessa had taken over the duty of caring to Merrick. She dutifully colored pictures with the boy and talked to him about his favorite TV show-Indiana Jones-and played games with him on paper like hangman, tic-tac-toe, and dots and boxes. She listened to him rattle on about random information that a six-year-old would know. Mira watched from her place as Tessa, ever the dutiful babysitter, sacrificed her time for Merrick, so graciously putting up with the boy. He seemed to enjoy her.

Cade, on the other hand, was dutifully taking apart the gun she'd snagged from the Cemetary Wind soldier. He'd been working for hours trying to figure it out and find any type of information. Bryce, the technology savvy younger brother of hers, dutifully assisted; his love of firearms driving him on.

Mira, on the other hand, had the glorious job of debriefing with Optimus. Actually, she always did more of the listening than the talking; unwilling to make blunders and misspeak in front of her comrades by using terms she was unfamiliar with or saying something wrong. Though a tedious and often monotonous task; she always did enjoy it. Mira found she learned much from these debriefings; she learned about Cybertronian warfare and the way her comrades thought. She learned strategies and technique; plans and weaponry. Here, everyone knew Mira was inexperienced; yet they did not hold it against her: she was free to learn and question. Optimus always made sure she understood and would stop to ask if she was following; he wanted her on the same page as him, and was not afraid to show it. The others didn't seem to mind either: actually, Bumblebee made sure Mira understood through a serious of text messages that explained everything that was going on.

This night, however, was darker than most. She found herself perched atop a rock, sitting Indian style with her and Will's NEST paperwork, and a pen. The Autobots had activated their lights; Optimus dutifully standing behind her and providing her with light necessary for her work and sorting paperwork. He talked amongst the others; mostly about their time away for three years: what they'd seen, heard, done. Where they'd visited and the allies they'd made with their holoforms. Mira had tuned them out, however, scrolling through the paperwork halfheartedly and signing here and there places they'd left blank after NEST disbanding. Finally, when the light shifted, she looked up.

"Mira?"It was Optimus, with a look of concern on his face.

She raised her brows behind her glasses. "Yes?"

He sighed, "What are you so diligently working at? You haven't been listening this entire conversation," he moved to stand before her, the earth trembling with his mass weight. Finally, he surprisingly squatted to stare at her, eye level. "This is not like you."

Feeling guilty, she sighed and closed her folder. "I suppose you're right. I was just filling in some blanks from awhile ago," she reached for the back-pack and stuck the pen behind her ear. She reached her hand inside the pack and her knuckles collided with smooth leather. Curious, she pulled out the two objects and dropped the back-pack beside her. Heat spread through her body, and her heart-beat picked up a few paces. She must've gasped, because the entire team moved forward to examine her.

"Mira?" Optimus asked again, cautiously.

Hound rumbled, "Ya looked like you've seen a ghost, darlin'."

She looked up at them and flipped open the leather wallet-type objects, then stroked her thumb across the emblazened emblem: a circle with a three points; and a skull trapped within the middle. The logo was in cursive lettering, the stainless steel untouched by the elements: _If I tell you, I have to kill you: NEST. _A lump formed in her throat as she inspected the badge number: PK784621-Major Lennox. She closed her eyes and said nothing.

"Not ghosts, Hound," she looked up at him and slipped Will's badge into the pocket of her cargoes, "just memories." Then, flipping her own badge open, she studied the badge number which she'd memorized: QL968500-General Lennox. Her rank had been promoted when she'd been awarded the Shield; much to her dismay. Optimus had insisted, she'd simply slipped into the shadows and allowed it. Mira hated playing the rank card, but she often had too; especially with the other soldiers and the Autobots more along the lines of the spunky type; such as Crosshairs. She slipped her badge into her back pocket by her cell-phone.

Then, she unfolded her legs and rested the soles of her feet flat on the rock, her arms draped over her knees. Hanging her head, she sighed slowly, "Guys," she bit her lower lip before continuing, "...there's something you should probably know,"

Optimus perked at the announcement. He stood, folded his arms across his chest and waited. "Go ahead, Mira."

She looked away, towards the fire Cade and Bryce had paused to make. Tessa was busying watching stars with Merrick, pointing out constellations and making wishes. Mira smiled, thinking how much of a pair they made. Then she looked to Cade, and her stomach toppled over. Something about that man made her loose all resolve, yet the other thing about him made her terrified. She reasoned it was nerves and looked back to her friends. Reaching up to the Shield, she took it in her fingers and began to stoke it and began slowly.

"After we disbanded and said our goodbyes," she sighed, "I met up with Ratchet six weeks later." She looked up to see everyone's expression: Hound's brow-plating had risen a few inches, Crosshairs was shaking his head, Drift had stopped sharpening one of his samurai blades as he sat on a rock adjacent hers, and Bumblebee hummed quietly as if in warning. Optimus, however, scared her: he gave her a steel-cold look that showed disappointment, concern, and curiosity. "We both agreed to continue meeting every six or seven weeks in different locations. It was a way of keeping NEST alive," she looked to the backpack, "it went on for awhile before Will was killed. Then," she looked up at Optimus, "we met in Mexico. After that happened I didn't go and see Ratchet for about three months. Only after he tracked me down and came to Paris did I resume seeing him."

"Mira," Crosshairs began, stepping forward and gesturing a hand to her, "you know that was against orders. That was dangerous, and stupid. If anyone had caught you-"

Optimus put up a hand to stop him, "Let her continue."

His tone was icy and hurt, and she swallowed hard. "...we talked mostly about NEST and the government; what would happen and the changes we thought should've happened. We theorized about NEST if it ever began again; if we could ever be allies again. Mostly we talked about his studies and research. He made some marvelous things that I began to trade illegally for weapons." She released the Shield and it gently bounced off her chest continually on its chain. Standing, she crossed her arms and turned her back to them, looking to the stars, "I figured someday the government would find Merrick and I and that I would need protection. I wasn't about to go down without a fight.

I also reasoned that if any of the Decepticons came around I wasn't going to cave into their desires either. Ratchet provided tons of medication and cures that I sold for grade-A weapons and gadgets, ammo and other things," she turned back to them. Their lights had dimmed now, and she looked down to her boots, rocking back on her heels, "I needed protection for Merrick and myself, since you guys and Will were gone." Her voice was quiet, "I didn't know what else to do."

They stared at her for a long time, before Drift asked the question burning the air around them to the point it was getting hard for Mira to breath comfortably. "If you were staying in contact with Ratchet, then you have another location marked for rendezvous, correct?"

This is where it got hard, Mira told herself. Nodding slowly, she felt a burst of sorrow and reality hit her stomach so hard it was crazy. Immediately emotion seized her and she choked back a hard and heavy sob. Spinning on her heel quickly, she bit down on her knuckles and pinched her eyes shut, unwilling to sob in front of her friends. Swallowing thickly, she told herself she had to do this. Removing her hand from her mouth, she gasped for air to settle herself and swiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist to remove the tears blurring her eyes. "I met with Ratchet a few days ago." She whispered. Hearing the quirks from Bumblebee and the shifting of metal caused her to turn around. Their looks all softened when they saw her state; now she absolutely couldn't stop the tears from coming down a burning path across her face. Her shoulders began to tremble until she couldn't suppress the sob arising in her throat, threatening its attack on her words any longer, "I...I thought I wasn't followed."

There was a harrowing effect. Crosshairs hung his head and turned away from her, reasoning to look to the stars with his hands crossed in front of him. Drift was still like the night, his optics staring at her with gracious sympathy. Bumblebee and Hound exchanged looks and Hound removed the bullet "cigar" from his mouth, looking to Optimus; who had locked stares with her. Tears poured down her face and she just stared into his optics, trying to read his emotions. He was like a stone.

"They came and attacked. Ratchet got me out before they knew where I was." Removing the stone from around her neck, she tossed it to Optimus, who extended his massive hand. The Shield collided with his fingertip and slid into his palm, microscopic almost to his massivity. "The Shield recorded everything. Ratchet's dead."

Thinness struck the air. _"Dead?" _The radio clip was solumn from Bumblebee. Crosshairs, obviously enraged, stormed out of their meeting grumbling and into the darkness. Drift slid off his rock and approached her own, placing two hands on either side of her and staring at her with soft optics; ones of concern and worries. Hound went after Crosshairs, and Bumblebee approached Prime.

She was still locked in a staring contest with Optimus, a firm look painted on his face almost permanently. "I'm sorry," she breathed, "I...I did what I thought was right. It was a mistake."

"A mistake that cost Ratchet his life," Optimus said coldly. That stung her in her heart, and sent her half a step backwards. Optimus narrowed his optics at her, then broke their lock by looking away. He said nothing more, then headed east away from the group. As he turned his back on her, all resolve left Mira, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her sobbing silent. She then looked to Drift and shook her head repeatedly.

"You witnessed his death, didn't you, Miriam?" He asked softly, "You watched Ratchet die."

She nodded rapidly now, her breathing becoming labored and treacherously shallow, "Y-yes. L...Lockdown..." she looked to Optimus, his form continually walking further from them, until he turned his lights off and was lost to the grips of the darkness, "Lockdown took his..." she then looked back to Drift, "Lockdown took his spark, Drift. He...He ripped it out of his sparkchamber," it came out hushed and slow, as if she'd just realized it had happened.

Drift hung his head, then snapped his head to look up at her, "Miriam," he said, as he noted her trembling form barely able to stand, "this isn't your faul-"

She cut him off, "Yes. Yes it is my fault, don't you see!? I should've followed orders! I should've listened to Optimu-" she sobbed now, stumbling forward, Drift moving a finger to catch her heaving form. She flung up against it and her feet came out from beneath her. He was supporting her now as she was hardly able to breath, "I...I killed-"

"Mira," Drift said quietly. He took a gentle finger and tipped her chin up to look at him, her eyes now puffy and red from her crying. Her nose was red too, and her face was wet with tears, which were rolling down her chin and onto her chest. Her poor body was shaking. He felt genuinely sorry for her, and pushed aside his grief to comfort her in this, as he felt was his duty, "every being in this universe has a time and season for life, whether a long life or a brief one," her bottom lip began to tremble and she sniffled, "Ratchet was well aware of the danger he put himself in, as were you. You both made a decision to kindle a dying remnant of flame that resided after we were gone. That is what being an Autobot is about; finding strength even when strength itself is gone. You dared to keep us alive, and you did. You fought the odds. It is a beautiful thing." he gave her a soft, hardly noticeable smile, "death happens, Mira. It calls forth the ones it so desires. We can do nothing to change that,"

"But Ratchet-"

He silenced her, "Ratchet knew the stakes of our war, Mira. He knew, above all of Optimus' orders, that protecting humans-especially you-was the first and foremost action. I am sure he died mostly honorably."

Mira nodded, looking towards where Optimus had vanished. "He'll never forgive me." she breathed.

This made Drift chuckle as she regained her footing, sniffling now, as he stood and gave a half smile to the same direction, "Optimus is wise. I have known him many eons," he looked to Mira, "and he grieves in a hard way," he nodded to her now and then looked to Hound and Crosshairs, where Bumblebee was busy gesturing wildly and probably communication through a comm-link, "he will come to realize your mistake was genuine, he always does. Optimus is very good about forgiveness, he has a great capacity for mercy. He will come around." He looked back to her and then to where Prime had vanished, "Especially when it comes to you. He loves you very much, Mira." Drift began to chuckle, "He won't be able to stand being away from you, not now."

She seated herself on the rock again, and drew her knees up to her chest. "Yeah, well, that was when I followed orders. I'm a bit of a rulebreaker now."

"You're still the same Mira. His spark doesn't know the difference, and neither does the Matrix."

Then, Drift transformed down into his Bugati form; a sleek muscle car of blue and black streamline that was elegant, dangerous, and expensive. The driver's side door opened and the headlights flicked on; then blue neon erupted beneath the car, and spotted a blue hue around the headlights. The dome light shone through the windshield, and soon a electrifying form took the air beside her and claimed it with a holoform.

Surprisingly, the form was not what she expected. Roughly around 5'10'', he had deep black hair and matching eyes, pale skin and Japanese features so perfect it briefly terrified her. Clean shaven, he sported a small goatee on his chin, and wore a black t-shirt with a blue pilot's jacket, and sunglasses atop his head. Well muscled and trim like a fighter, he too wore an Autobot insignia in the form of a necklace. The holoform bore Drift's presence: one of wisdom, peace, and strength, and it sent waves of comfort throughout her body. He was oddly peaceful, and gently sat down beside her.

"He will see reason, I assure you."

She gave him a gentle smile, "I hope so." Then, looking to the stars, she was surprised when he draped an arm around her shoulders and gently nudged her into him. Mira, taking the action as a gesture of extreme forgiveness and compassion, as well as friendship, rested her head against his shoulder and let her legs outstretch into a half-lying, half sitting up position. She looked toward the sky and sighed. "Thank you, Drift."

He chuckled, "It is my greatest pleasure, miss. A gentleman is always there for a lady," he looked down at her, "do not worry though. Optimus is always the gentlemen, but he is first a leader. A leader with many grievances, as well as responsibilities."

"I never doubted him."

Drift nodded. "I never said you did."


	21. Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

**...**

Optimus had strayed far enough from the group in hopes not to hear the sounds of Mira's crying. His attempts failed, however, when he could still hear her voice; shaky and filled with sorrow and remorse, ring out across the black expanse around his mind even if he couldn't hear her physically. This twisted his spark in a hundred different electrified knots, and immediately he regretted his decision of turning his back on her.

He thought about what he'd said to her, and as he replayed the sentence through his mind, her face flashed before the eyes of his memory and pain struck him like an uppercut to the jaw. How could he, her guardian, have said such a thing to her? Optimus had not thought of himself a cruel mech, much less a cruel friend, but realized at that moment he had been. He looked up to the sky and took in the constellations above him, and flickered his optics.

Ratchet. The Wreckers. How could friends he'd known so long be gone? He could hardly fathom them being gone, away from the war, lost to the hands of time without his knowledge. At the hands of humans, no less! His rage began to burn. Optimus Prime decided at that moment that he hated this; all of it. He hated this war, hated the fact it had ravaged earth to the point that it had defiled the humans, and he hated this government. Optimus Prime had never hated a moment in his life; he'd grieved and felt sorry for the Decepticons, but never had hated them.

He hated now.

Emotion twisted through his body life searing Energon until he felt the Shield in fist again, ever withstanding his fierce grip of rage. Looking to his hand, he unclenched his palm and gazed the small, innocently beautiful emblem; so easily taken from its protector, it's holder—Mira. How quickly he'd been to toss her aside, to forget her place among his comrades, his team; by ripping the very piece of himself he'd trusted unto her. The Matrix within him pulled him back from any thoughts meant to skewer his vision of her, a gentle tug that kept him within reason and honor. Flickering his optics again, he signaled the Shield to transform into a larger size, and then activated the camera files.

The files channeled into his optics, and he motioned with a finger to play the footage. His optics portrayed the visual recording much like a 3D film, and he watched first as the Wreckers found their end at the hand of Cemetery Wind helicopters, sending barrages of missiles and cannon-fire down on them from the sky. The Wreckers, ever minding his orders, did not fight back but did their best to shield themselves from the barrage. The attempts failed, and his sparkchamber dropped into his feet when Mira—ever a trembling, screaming mess once the soldiers left—ran towards them looking for any signs of life. She was weeping and Optimus noticed the wetness of her hands; tears, as she scrambled around them screaming for them to get up. Then there was a squeal of sirens and thump of choppers and she took off towards the forest, disappearing.

The footage cut out briefly, then restarted another file. It was dark, and Optimus watched as Mira was wading into the ocean, hands above her head holding a human automatic weapon—a Barrett 50 rifle. She boarded a vessel, and climbed up flights of stairs until she met glowing optics and began to speak to the Autobot—Ratchet. At sight of him Optimus felt like weeping—his oldest friend was before him, for the last time. They began to converse and Optimus noted the coldness Ratchet portrayed to Mira, a fact he himself had regretted previously.

Then, Mira was gone, back into the water and frantically scrambling towards shore. In the background of her panting he heard military commands and thumping boots, and the thrumming of helicopters in the sky. Then, there was gunfire, as Mira continued to run the opposite direction, until she'd settled in an embankment. She tried to set up the rifle, but failed, and her body began to tremble.

Optimus continued to watch, and finally the footage went quiet as he witnessed Lockdown rip Ratchet's very spark from his chamber. This sent Optimus staggering forward a few steps which rattled the earth around him, jostling the Shield in his hand. He watched as Lockdown walked form the scene, unaffected, and left. It all seemed to go by in a blur from there, until Mira's piercing scream and heavy sobs were the only thing he could hear. Optimus ended the footage and just stood in the open darkness, baffled. Never before had he been so hit by grief as he was now, and he flickered his optics.

He realized this was not her fault. Individual's made decisions, and sometime those decisions were wrong. At the time, jettisoning the Allspark from Cybertron's core seemed like a good idea during the war, as did the idea of conferring with Ratchet after NEST's disbanding. These were decisions made out of desperation, and he could not hold them against anyone, much less himself. How hypocritical of him to judge Mira's decisions based on her circumstances, when he himself had made much worse ones?

Optimus had to show this footage to the rest of the team, to curb their rage they may have felt towards Mira. Surely, he knew, there would be rage in the place of trust, shattering all allegiance and friendship this team may have had towards one another. He would show this to them immediately, while the humans were asleep, and put this behind them first. Then, he reasoned, he would talk with Mira; for surely her emotions towards him were shattered and broken.

Looking to the Shield, he folded his fingers around it again and turned, heading back towards the direction of the group. The only sounds were night crickets and the wind chasing small rocks and dust against the Montana plains, the whisping of prairie grass mixed with the gentle howl of the breeze. Then, he looked to the Shield again.

"It's time you were back where you belong."

...

Cade and Bryce, having heard the conflict between the Autobots and Mira, had set their work aside and made their way towards the previous sight of the conferring soldiers. Mira and whom Cade assumed to be Drift, were perched atop the rock Mira had been sitting on, Drift's arm draped protectively and affectionately around Mira's shoulders.

He heard her crying, her sniffling evident even in the night. Cade had listened as she told them about Ratchet, the Autobot's field doctor he'd learned, and their other friends. He felt sorry for them for their loss of friends and soldiers, as well as wisdom. He'd been more focused on the conversation than the fun he was tearing apart, and Bryce had noticed.

"Doesn't sound good," Bryce had worried, casting a look over his shoulder to his sister, "she looks pretty upset."

Cade nodded, "Yeah, that's a tough conversation." They both listened as heavy footfalls shook the earth, and Crosshairs had left their group, followed by Hound and later Bumblebee. Optimus too, had vanished, though Cade hadn't heard what he'd said. Obviously something cold, because Mira had started to sob.

His brief thankfulness for Drift's compassionate side was quickly overtaken by a burning anger he felt inside of him. Now, as he and Bryce approached the two sitting overlooking the expanse of prairie, he realized that feeling was a searing jealousy he didn't think he'd ever get again when it came to another woman besides Emily. He hated Drift for being the one to sit beside her and offer his shoulder for her to cry on, and hated the idea of Drift being the one to make her smile or make her forget her problems. Cade had wanted to be that shoulder, that one to make her smile, that…

….man.

In this moment, he paused, Bryce continuing on. He realized he felt something for this woman, this girl he hardly knew. She ignited something in him he hadn't remembered since Emily's death, something that scared the daylights out of him. He turned to look at Tessa and Merrick, both asleep next to the fire they'd constructed. Tessa had never known a mother, had never had that womanly wisdom teenage girls were supposed to have. She had him, and he wasn't working. She was a woman now with womanly issues and womanly concerns that he as a man couldn't see to. She needed a woman.

But did he? He'd got on fine without Emily, hadn't he? Besides the fact he was broke and looking at losing his house (which was nonexistent anymore). He cooked using the microwave and TV dinners. He still wasn't sure how to balance a checkbook, much less laundry, bills, work, cooking, cleaning, and raising a teenager. He'd done the best with what he had, and they'd survived, but was surviving really living? He couldn't give Tessa everything she needed with his hands in twenty different fires, that was for sure. He'd married Emily because he needed another half, because individuals were not meant to take on the world alone.

And Merrick. The boy needed a dad that was for sure. He felt sorry for the little guy, having lost his dad so tragically at such a young age. Mira was doing a fine job raising him that was for sure; the kid had spunk and morals and happiness. But, he wasn't a man. He was a Momma's boy simply because all he had was a Mom, he hadn't learned to be a boy yet. He hadn't gotten under the hood of a classic car with his dad, or worked a field with his dad, or even went on a camping trip with just him and his father. He wasn't learning the ways of manhood.

With these realizations, Cade realized he liked Mira, far more than he had been willing to realize. She had a wonderful charm with a hint of sarcasm, something he'd always enjoyed in a woman. Her ability to tackle any job was practically perfect. Curiosity was in her eyes, and he liked woman that wanted to learn. Not to mention the fact she probably had the best job in the world, and the best friends for that matter. She was strong, healthy, and could balance on her own two feet. She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but had a simple, country-girl attractiveness that he didn't mind. She was a bit heavier than he wouldn't preferred in women, but that really didn't matter.

She intrigued him, and as an inventor, he liked intrigue.

...

"Rough night, huh?"

Mira, suddenly surprised by the intrusion into her and Drift's conversation, skittered a little before realizing the voice belonged to her brother. Quietly sighing in relief, she sat up and Drift carefully rubbed her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. She returned the kindness and then nodded to Bryce, shrugging a shoulder slightly.

"That's a bit of an understatement," she said tragically, "I think Optimus hates me." This made them chuckle and she furrowed her brow, "I'm quite serious. He's never…he's never said something like that to me."

Bryce lowered to the ground beside her. He had turned into a huge man when she wasn't looking, one that opposed the younger brother she knew growing up. He had thick, muscled arms and a broad, beefy chest with dark ebony colored hair cut into a military style, and the same glasses she remembered: square. Heavy brown eyes the color of chocolate with gold flecks, and the same round face she remembered, with unshaven stubble. Bryce took after their mother's side of the family: broad, beefy, and strong male genes. He was 6'3", roughly 280 pounds, and a genius.

He smiled at her crookedly, "I don't think he hates you as much as he's surprised by you."

"What?" she asked, disbelieving.

Cade, she realized had seated himself behind Bryce as Bryce continued his thought, "You've always been his right hand, Mare," he used her nickname, "and you've always done everything Optimus had asked you, without question, and to perfection." He looked out the expanse of sky and chuckled, "so you to go against his orders is a shock to him. He'll get over it. Optimus adores you…you're his friend. He'll come around."

"You don't know what he said," she uttered quietly.

Cade piped up. She watched him, intrigued by his involvement, "We say things we sometimes don't mean out of emotion. I say things to Tessa all the time that I shouldn't, but does that mean that I love her any less?" He nodded to her, "You say things to Merrick, I'm sure, without thinking. Optimus isn't infallible—he can make mistakes."

"Cade is right."

Mira, instantly aware of her miniscule presence, shot to her feet perhaps more because of hope than surprise. Optimus entered their small circle, next to Drift's alternation mode, eyes shining against the darkness. Mira hadn't even known he was there, much less realized he'd been listening. Her heart hammered loudly against her ribcage in such a fashion she thought it would break her bones. She swallowed thickly as Bryce and Cade rose beside her. Drift's holoform deactivated and vanished on the wind, Mira not even turning to acknowledge.

"Optimus." She stated simply. He approached the rock and rested a hand to her left, flickering his optics to stare at her. She felt tears pull at her eyes again, ashamed tears. "I'm—" He put up his other hand to silence her, and she looked down in compliance.

"There are many things in this world I do not understand," Optimus began quietly, "and many things I do. One of those being that a true friend," he gently slid a massive fingertip under her chin and tilted her face up to stare at him, "is very hard to come by, especially when there is conflict between them." She closed her eyes and raised a hand to touch his finger.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "about Ratchet. I shouldn't of—"

He silenced her with a firm stare, "What happened to Ratchet is no fault of yours. You acted to protect him, and our alliance. Ratchet did what was required of him to keep you, and the Shield, safe. Our future is you, Mira, and what you can teach us about this planet and its people. Ratchet understood that."

Optimus lowered his hand and Cade stepped up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, "You did everything you could, and that's all you can do."

"It was not fair of me to blame you for what happened to Ratchet and the Wreckers," Optimus stated plainly, "a mistake that I apologize for. I do not hold you responsible for the events, Mira. I thought, at first, that I did, but the Matrix has led me to believe otherwise."

She swiped at the tears forming at her eyes. A deep relief had pitted itself in her stomach now, a relief that she welcomed. The fire inside her body slowly began to cool, and her heart began to stop hammering to the point where it was hurting her being. Still shaking, and still crying, she gave Optimus her best smile and nodded. "I still am sorry. I shouldn't have disobeyed a directive."

He looked at her and chuckled, "A dear friend told me once that she was my friend before my soldier."

She smiled. "Smart girl."

...

"Well," Cade said later that night when the Autobots had resolved their conflict against Mira, holding the broken down gun in one hand and a single part in the other, "All I've got from this is a company name, I'm assuming; whether a manufacturer or whatever. I dunno. But other than this little piece here, there's not a scratch on that thing." He tossed the dismembered gun aside behind him, into the darkness. Then, he tossed the piece to Mira, and she turned it over in her hands.

The fire before her crackled and she looked up from the piece to him. "KSI?"

He nodded. "Yep. That's it. The only trace of branding on that baby."

Mira looked to Optimus. "Isn't KSI in Chicago?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. It was erected shortly after the skirmish with Sentinel Prime. It is a laboratory which develops technology and markets it to the public," he shifted his weight on his feet, "mostly in contracts with NASA, the military, and surprisingly, archeological institutions."

Hound spoke up from behind them, "Yeah, but what would they be doin' marketing technology to the military? Ain't that why the military's got government funding?"

Mira shot a look back to Prime, "Did you just breach a secure network for that information?" Her stare was a playful warning, and Optimus shrugged a shoulder at her question. Bryce, from his place leaning against Bumblebee, chuckled. "I figured. Obviously the contracts with the military are under the table."

Drift, curious, asked the next question. "But why would they want it to be confidential to the world? Isn't is a good thing to sell to the military?"

"Unless what they're selling to the military is not in the best interest to the public,"

Mira pieced together the information. "Unless," she continued the thought, "they aren't selling to the military as much as they're selling to a _department." _She tossed the piece back to Cade. "Those guys? Trying to kill Optimus? You think the entire military would stand for them killing your friend, and attempting to kill three innocent bystanders?"

Bryce shook his head, "Probably not. But if they're funded by the CIA to do whatever they need to do, then it wouldn't matter."

"Yeah, but what if they _aren't? _KSI must be in digs with Cemetery Wind for some reason or another, and since they're into technological development, I'll bet it's because of you guys," he gestured to Crosshairs, who was across the fire from her, "The government wants Optimus alive, otherwise Lockdown would've killed him already. They would've killed us on sight too if they had the chance. The U.S. wants _them, _but not at all costs. They know that if they kill all of us it'll leak out to the public and bingo, Cemetery Wind—and their form of national defense against the Decepticons—is out the window."

"You think KSI is in deep with Cemetery Wind?"

"For whatever reason, yes."

Crosshairs interjected, "Wait, wait, wait a fraggin' _nanoklik. _So you're saying this KSI company is providing Cemetery Wind with weapons, as well as technology?"

"Where else did the technology come from?" Mira challenged, "we certainly didn't give it to them."

"Lockdown," Crosshairs bantered.

She gave him a look, "Lockdown doesn't know a thing about human tech, Crosshairs. And like he would go and do that and give them a shot at him. No. They've gotten technology from somewhere, technology that can track us, and can match you guys."

Optimus was quiet a moment before he spoke, "We have more questions than answers. We need to get into KSI and find out exactly what their standing with Cemetery Wind is, and how they know what they do about us."

Cade snorted. "And how do we get to Chicago? We're in the middle of Montana!"

Bryce raised a hand. "I think I can help you with that."


	22. Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

**...**

The nights on the prairie were _cold. _So cold, in fact, that Mira, Bryce, and Cade had decided that having the children sleep outside was not in the best interest of the group. The Autobots, ever deciding this was a good idea, made themselves available to the human "younglings".

Surprisingly, Drift had offered to house Merrick for the night. Mira found this idea hopeful, seeing that Drift was probably the most mature of the Autobots, save Optimus. She was delighted to realize that Drift had a way with children, solidified in the task of successfully picking up a sleeping child without waking them and transferring Merrick into the passenger's seat of the Bugati. Mira, gently placing a tender kiss on the boy's forehead, ruffled his hair as Drift walked by them and gently thumped the passenger's door closed. Bowing the holoform politely, he deactivated it and flicked off his parking lights, quiet and entering into a stasis sleep for the rest of the night.

Tessa, on the other hand, was welcomed by, strangely, Bumblebee. Optimus and Cade had both decided that Hound and Crosshairs were not the likely match for her for the evening, considering they were both a bit rowdy. Mira had agreed, and Tessa bedded down in the backseat of the '60's Camaro, bidding them all a very groggy-teenager goodnight. Bumblebee hunkered down as well, and soon Hound and Crosshairs were silent for the night's rest as well.

Optimus, overly exhausted, had bid them goodnight as well. He offered himself to Mira, but she declined, as did Bryce and Cade from Hound and Crosshairs. They decided to sleep beside the fire, among themselves, and not further burden the Autobots anymore. The fire was the only sound as Mira rolled onto her side, pulling up her arms under her head for some type of pillow. Bryce snored loudly to her left, and Cade made no sounds.

She watched the fire, and soon a chill ran through her body. In nothing more than a tank-top and cargo pants, she was _cold. _Looking to Optimus' sleeping form, she was almost willing to go and slip into the cab, but upon realizing this would most surely wake him up, declined the idea almost as fast as it had formed within her head. Her eyelids began to droop, and soon she felt movement.

"Hey." It was Cade, surprisingly. Panic shot through her body. He may have been desperate, but she wasn't that desperate. He stood above her, and then slowly moved to the ground a few feet from her, smiling softly. His amazing brown eyes were gold-flecked from the fire, and she noticed the wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled—a generational trait more than an age-related one. His presence soothed something over in her heart, and her stomach began to tingle. She hadn't felt this way since she'd first started seeing Will, and Mira wouldn't deny the idea of liking Cade in more than just a friendly matter—but was she ready for this? Ready to give up on Will's memory so quickly? Was Merrick ready for the idea of her dating again?

"Hey," she whispered faintly, "what's up?"

He chuckled. "You're teeth are chattering." She blushed and rolled over to face him, him resting an arm in the dirt, supporting his head with a palm. Mira chuckled and shrugged a shoulder, "I figured you'd be cold."

She nodded. "I forgot Montana got chilly at night. Not my best idea to refuse the warm luxury of a semi," they both snickered until Cade sat up and began taking off his button down, the one she'd provided him at her home. She sat up too and he extended to her, but she refused. "No, thanks. I'd feel horrible."

He got a disturbed look on his face. "Oh? You think I'd feel better if I let a lady freeze to death? Please," he crawled on his knees to drape it over her shoulders carefully, and she smiled at him, pulling it around her bare, freezing shoulders, "just wear it. It belongs to you, anyway."

"Thank you," she situated herself down again and they both stared at each other again until she decided to ask the next question, which she didn't even realize she was asking, "Why didn't you ever remarry?"

This caught him off guard and he rolled onto his back, "I dunno," he said matter-of-factly, "I guess the right girl never came along."

This made her wonder. Was that the real reason? Or was it because he was afraid to betray his late wife by remarrying, just as she was afraid of betraying Will? They were both getting older; Cade already with a graduating daughter, and she with a six year old son. Mira doubted Cade planned his life this way; having one child, being a widower early on, struggling as an inventor, just as she hadn't planned her life as a military wife, widow, and single mom. She'd always envisioned life with the big house, white picket fence, three or four kids, a dog, nice cars, good career. This was never how she'd planned life, not at all.

"Do you think your wife would've wanted you to?"

He rolled back over to face her. Their eyes met and locked a few moments, a locking that made Mira's insides turn over. He had such deep, willing eyes; eyes that were open and willing to give. She found his soul, and his desires in his eyes, desires that told her he wanted another woman to love, to live life with. He wanted to be able to hold someone, to guide them, to provide for a woman that would love him back. The man was starved for affection (and probably sex) and had been so long without it that he'd forgotten how to show it. Mira gulped, realizing her face was turning red from an insane blush, and he replied.

"Emily? She would've wanted my happiness," he sighed, looking away slightly only to look back, "and Tessa's. I also think she would've wanted me to love someone the way I loved her. Just because someone else's life stops, doesn't mean ours have to. Not forever, anyway. I grieved Emily for a long time before I was okay with the fact of maybe someday having another woman. It took a lot of time, prayer, and mentoring, but God found me in my grief. That's the best thing that could've happened, and if it took Emily dying to find God, I'm okay with that. She would've been too, considering she did nothing but beg me to go to church most of our marriage."

Dumbfounded, Mira's mouth dropped open, "You…you believe in God?"

Cade nodded. "After Emily died, we held her funeral in her Assembly of God church. The pastor gave a sermon talking about heaven and how an individual gets there. I realized that's where Emily was, and that I wanted to be with her." He chuckled, "Selfish reasons, I know. But, after I came to know God, life started changing. I began to read the Word to Tessa and talk to her about God, and we found…happiness. Living wasn't so hard anymore."

Her stomach did a thousand things at once. It was a mixture of happiness, confusion, astoundment, and a radical sense of belonging that rolled her emotions into a knot. In the year since Will's death she hadn't met once Christian man who was available, not that she was looking. But here was a man who understood her heart, and understood her God. Her mouth parched.

She was reminded of Ruth, a biblical woman who was widowed and left her home country with her mother-in-law. There, they lived as widows together, until a member of her mother-in-law's family came and inquired about Ruth, who worked in one of his fields. It was custom in Biblical days for the relative of a deceased husband to marry the widow, to continue on the family name and provide for her, so that she wouldn't be shamed. That man, Boaz, ended up marrying Ruth and they had loved passionately. Mira had always wondered if Ruth had ever gotten over the death of her first husband, and how she felt about remarriage.

"Do you?" Cade suddenly jerked her out of her thoughts. She was quiet a moment before she nodded and smiled.

"I do, yeah. I've believed in God and followed Him since I was a little girl."

A twinkle came to his eyes. "Well then. I see we have something in common."

"It would appear that way."

He then nodded to her and looked skyward. "It's late. We should probably get some sleep. It's been…a day."

She couldn't help but snort a little laugh, "That's an understatement. Tomorrow won't be so bad. We'll touch base with Bryce's friend and see what we can arrange. But first, we'll get cleaned up and see what we can find out about KSI at Bryce's. We can lay low there awhile."

Cade winked, "Always have a plan, don't you?"

"Good night, Cade."

He nodded and rolled over on his other side, "You too, Mira. Good night."

...

After the police issued a warrant out for Mira Lennox's arrest, he received a call from a Wyoming shop just on the border of Montana, stating that there'd been a woman and a man in with a suspicious looking vehicle matching the description of the TV program.

He'd flown out to Wyoming, only to find that lead well gone and dry. He figured, though, that she'd crossed the border into Montana, that's what his gut told him. Last Cemetery Wind knew, Mira had a brother living somewhere in the mountains here in Montana, yet they had no idea if that information was accurate or not, since the man was a technology genius.

Lockdown was getting upset. He'd talked to Attinger after their failed attempt at capturing Prime in Texas, and he was not pleased. Their deal was entering a dangerous stage, one that was shaky and not at all the way Attinger, nor James, would've liked to see it go. The stakes were changing, and they were not at all pretty ones.

Now, the three of them were just outside the Montana border. Lockdown had resumed his Lamborghini form, and had activated a holoform, which Attinger had provided him with through the KSI technological developments. A tall, muscular character slid out of the driver's side of the car, slipped a pair of sunglasses on top his head and approached them slowly, as if a predator coming in for the kill. This unnerved Attigner, James could tell.

They'd previously received a transmission from Lockdown, stating that he wanted to change the deal. He wanted something else in return for the Seed, not just Prime and the girl. Now, they stood in a little triangle just on the border of the two states, a position of not only irony but power. James tucked his hands into the pockets of his trenchcoat, and fished out a lighter and cigarette. Both Attinger and Lockdown looked at him as if he was dog-crap.

"What's this about changing the deal?" Attinger looked to Lockdown's holoform; a sickeningly wicked looking man with jet black hair and pale skin, with strikingly blue eyes that were deadly accurate and sharp. He gave a small smile to Attinger.

"As I said before, deals can expire."

Attinger was getting upset, and James decided to ask a question. "Yeah, well, what do you want now?" A stupid sounding question, but one on every one of their minds.

"Let me clarify something to you fools. I am what your people would call a bounty hunter," he said steely, "I work for prizes. I have a collection of…artifacts," he got an evil shimmer in his eyes that told James that his artifacts weren't artifacts at all, they were either living things or deadly powerful weapons, "artifacts which are unique to every job I take on. It is my custom to require such artifacts before I work, or make a deal. Well, as you now probably realize, our deal has indeed expired, and now I propose a new one."

Attinger, obviously unwilling to argue with the mercenary, sighed. "Okay. What do you want?"

Lockdown chuckled. "Don't jump your gun." He grew serious as his eyes changed from an icy blue to a deadly stare, "You may not like these terms, not that you have a choice."

James did not like where this was going. He wasn't one to be put into a position where he was forced into something, and this is exactly what Lockdown was getting at. He was playing a power card in a game James hadn't signed up to play. They were now in the position to either accept the proposition, or get their butts handed to them by this guy. He shifted his gaze between Lockdown and Attinger, the tension rising on the air so thick he could've cut it with a safety-pin. He swallowed a puff of cigarette smoke and watched.

"Don't tell me what I like and don't like," Attinger challenged. This got him a deep, evil glare from Lockdown that looked like it had come straight from hell. James was beginning to believe this character was from hell, perhaps in the guise of a Transformer. He tossed his now finished cigarette to the floor, outted it with the heel of his boot, and reached into his pocket for another. "I'll decide that for myself." Is how Attinger finished it, an equally dangerous look in his eyes as well.

No, James didn't like this.

Lockdown chuckled. "You will provide me with one Prime and one Shield," he gave Savoy a powerful, haughty look, "and in return I will give you your precious Seed, as previously established."

"That doesn't sound any different from our previous deal," James added with a snort. "What changed?"

Lockdown smiled at him wickedly, like a sadistic killer having fun with his victim, "….the only new term is that I get to keep the girl."

This was odd. And dangerous. If Lockdown was looking to keep Lennox, it put them in an entirely new position with the government. The U.S. wasn't going to let them just hand over a human female to a Cybertronian mercenary, that was for sure. It was going to stir up a heap more trouble now than Attinger was willing to pay later, James knew that much.

But, the other question burned in his head: why? What did Lockdown want with a human woman anyway? It couldn't be slavery; she wouldn't be useful there, considering the huge shift and difference in size. And it surely wasn't for pleasure, since Lockdown seemed to hate them as much as they hated him. Sex wasn't an option either…at least James didn't think it was, unless they'd discovered a new way to "get it on" with human beings, which seemed unlikely. He figured it was something having to do with deals and research, things he didn't necessarily care to know.

Regardless, it was a bad idea. Not that he wouldn't care getting rid of her, but the public would, especially since she was a huge publicity figure with the Autobots, and not to mention mother. The world would go crazy at this if they gave her up, and they'd never get any funding again. It reeked of trouble, this entire scenario.

"How will you accommodate such an…artifact?" Well, that was surprising. Attinger was on a totally different page than him, that was for sure. James raised his brows behind his sunglasses a bit, as Attinger crossed his arms in front of him, wrinkling his now Armani suit. Lockdown just smiled at him, and continued with his plea.

"You will provide me with everything I need to see that the human girl survives, in return for my letting you and your human President live." It was stated matter-of-factly.

"Harold," James put a hand on the man's shoulder. Lockdown shot him a dangerously cautious look, one that was alarming him to the point where he removed his hand. His tone was still serious, still finding reason, since Attinger wasn't at the moment. The man's greed and rage had finally pushed him past reason, a moment James had been prepping—and waiting—for. "You know we'd never get that past—"

Harold put up a hand to shut him up. He stepped forward to Lockdown and pressed a finger into the holoform's chest, which obviously had taken Lockdown off guard as much as it had James. They stared at each other a moment before Attinger gave him an answer, one that was so wickedly evil that James wondered briefly if the man had turned into a demon.

"Done."

Baffled, James dropped the cigarette from his hands and left the two of them to finish their bargain.


	23. -Alpha Trion-

_Alpha Trion_

* * *

_**There is much unknown about the Thirteen. **_

_** The entirety of that knowledge, though, is perhaps for another lesson. This lesson, now, is one of grave importance, and one that has been in-coming for many, many eons. It has been here, in the Covenant's pages, for so long not even I can remember it, and I have been mastering the Covenant for as long as I have been one of the Thirteen. **_

_** During the time of the Ancient Wars, there was prophesied by Solus Prime, the great forger of our people, that one day a Countess would rise into the ranks of our people, to revive the title long since deceased with the parting of Countess Awestrike, the companion and charge of Nexus Prime. This, though regarded, was scoffed; pushed aside into the stars with thoughts of the future the Thirteen may have possessed. **_

_** Solus Prime was a wise femme, she understood the need for companionship. She understood that a Prime could not shoulder the burden alone, having not known that understanding due to the presence of the other twelve. The Primes would not know what it would be like to be alone at war, they always had been accompanied by the others. The need of a Count or Countess was not needed, only in the time of Nexus Prime, when he had to fight the powers of Unicron alone in deep space. That was when he had Awestike, a tactical missions specialist, from Tarn, under the watchful eye of Shockwave. **_

_** I myself have known the solitude of being alone. The other twelve have long been gone, taken for dead. But do they live? Perhaps they do, in the recesses of time that I have not been granted to understand. Perhaps they do exist, and return not, for their time on Cybertron has ended. Their leadership has been passed on, to one Optimus Prime, now residing on the planet Earth. **_

_** He is the last Prime, and he knows not companion ship. He also knows not that the Matrix of Leadership, given to each of the Prime's for a time, syncs itself to its carries, whether previous or present. It is much like a history log, keeping note of events and time of its location and present state. I have been able to know Optimus Prime's whereabouts the entirety of his possession of the Matrix. **_

_** He fights a strong war, a war against people who know his thoughts. He has entrusted the species of Earth—humans—and they have betrayed him, as did a gladiator once who he had called brother, Megatronus. Optimus Prime has known much betrayal, and hardship, and lowliness, that much is known. He loves, and then is shattered. His trust is thin still with these humans, those who would kill him and hand him back to Lockdown, who will surely kill him before he even sees the Creators—if they exist, as legends would speculate. **_

_** There is one I am curious of. A femme, much like Solus Prime or Awestrike. She is very strong and willful. I see power in her, a power much like the stars: bright and shining, but often overlooked. I see light in her eyes, a light that is courageous and strong; a light which could very well keep the flame of hope with Optimus Prime alive. **_

_** What made Awestrike such Countess was her ability to foresee hope. The job of a Countess is to stand beside a Prime; to advise them and learn, rarely to teach and to lead. They are a companion; one to confide in and to expel ideas from. They are the other half of a Prime, the other half that could see reason when judgment is faltered in the face of chaos and tragedy. They have a favor with the soldiers as well, a favor that is earned and not given. They lead with grace, especially the Countess', and integrity, and hope. The see a future when the future is clouded, and they strive to bring that future. They keep passion alive when a Prime has to fight for that passion. **_

_** I see this in the human femme, a passion for hope. A strength to lead. A grace that is unseen by the people around her. **_

_** I find it curious, the departure of the Shield. A very powerful tool not to be given lightly, and I sense it is not with the Matrix. Prime has discharged it from his care to another, something that has never happened before in the history of the Primes. I believe fully that this is not in fear he has discharged it, I feel it is in an act of trust to renew his hope, his faith. This piece is not for the faint-hearted—it has the power to bring our science, our world, to life. Everything we are, and everything we have strived to learn, is in the Shield. To a world unknown, it could bring the apocalypse. **_

_** What is more curious; more distressing than curious I suppose, is perhaps the holder of the Shield—the human femme. I know she is fond of Optimus Prime, and that he is equally fond of her. The guardianship imprinted on the Matrix does not lie: he has bonded himself to her, and her to him. They are charged now, a step towards a crowning realization of a Countess rising from the ashes, as I suspected. She wears the Shield proudly and is curiously fond of it, with a heavy protectiveness in her eyes only one so loyal to the carrier would show. Perhaps this is not distressing, for I sense a calling put upon her shoulders that I would not think of carrying, a calling for Cybertron. A future ringing in her fate, a future here, perhaps, with us, leading us?**_

_** These are speculations, and the Covenant has no room for anymore. The High Council, still existing, has requested me to find this human femme; as they reside below the surface of our great Cybertron, struggling to survive. They ponder what to do with the expiration of the Manganese Mountains, as with the Mithric Sea, which were broken from our planet some years ago by Sentinel Prime and his cursed Space Bridges, once so great and now so dangerously ineffective. The Council, too, senses the calling of the femme, and they too know the guardianship Optimus Prime now possesses towards her. They understand: she is one of us, with the Shield, and must be recognized. I myself lie on this planet, surviving, my only hope the Covenant; the only thing keeping me alive here in the remnants of Iacon, our beloved capital. **_

_** She will stand before the Council, one day, I am sure. And when that day comes, I will gladly receive her. **_


	24. Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

**...**

Daylight came, as did warmth, the fire having long gone out during the night. Mira was the first one up, as usual, and made her rounds to the entire group. No one moved or made a sound, thus meaning they all were either still asleep or in stasis, and she paused at the window of the Camaro to see Tessa curled into a small ball in the passenger's seat. The windows were foggy, which implicated Bumblebee had turned the heat on, and Mira smiled.

She found her way to the truck, and stopped. Looking at the massive vehicle before her, she crossed her arms in front of her and gave a light smirk. The truck hardly seemed to be Optimus, it was so flashy and...detailed. She'd always known Optimus for a subtle, very plain-Jane type guy, and this didn't at all seem him. But, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Yer up a bit early, ain't ya?"

Hound surprised her, and she came about quickly, her boots grinding the grass beneath her feet. Scratching at her disheveled head of messy, now frizzy, curls, she approached the Defense vehicle and stopped before it. "Not really, it's..." she grabbed the phone in her back pocket and checked the time, "...six."

He chuckled, "Ah, well, surprises are surprises I guess," he snorted, "I can remember Optimus havin' to practically drag you out of bed just a few years ago."

She snorted as well, lightly, "Yeah, when I was a _teenager. _I'm a mom now." she looked to the Bugati. "Things change us, Hound."

Hound chuckled, and his form shook just slightly, as if tossing off the dust and dew, "I suppose yer right. Age is a fickle thing, fer sure."

She smiled at him, "It sure is. Now, let's get these others up, shall we? We have a long road ahead of us, and KSI is waiting. I can't imagine Lockdown is far behind us now."

Hound burst out in a deep, guttural laugh, "Nose to the grindstone, ain't it?" Then he focused his attention to the group and laid on his air horn, piercing the air around them and startling poor Cade and Bryce up off the ground. "OKAY, up 'an addem, sweethearts! Days a'callin'! 'WAKEN UP!" Then, all of his alarms and lights went off in a frantic display of what should've alerted someone to panic, but was just a colorful, cruel way of waking the team up.

The Camaro door opened and out stumbled Tessa, "Good _grief_," she shot a glare of hatred towards the commando, "It's six AM!"

Mira walked over to her and clapped a hand on her shoulder good-naturedly and winked at her, "Get used of it, sweetheart. They NEVER. STOP."

She groaned. Bumblebee revved the engine behind them and the radio blared to life, "_Ooooh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day..."_ Mira just shook her head at him when Cade and Bryce walked over, groggy and hardly standing. They both were in desperate need of coffee, and looked disheveled.

The Bugati's door slammed back into place, and Mira glanced over her shoulder. Drift's holoform approached them, Merrick in his arms, still sound asleep. This wasn't unusual to Mira-the boy could sleep through the apocalypse. She turned from the group, and approached him, arms open to receive her son.

She watched Drift. He had a look of serenity and peace in his eyes, as well as amazement and...pride. Merrick had grown up without them, a fact she often regretted. She had hoped they would be a sort of family to him; a team of mentors to teach him all that she'd learned. The look of pride and adoration was painted so clearly on his face that she almost wondered briefly for a minute if Drift had once been a father himself-no, she surmised, he hadn't. She could see that in his eyes.

"Thank you," Mira smiled at the holoform, and touched her hands to the boy's face as he lay in Drift's arms, still snoring slightly. He smiled back at her softly, and she gently seized Merrick's wrist, and shook it lightly, calling his name, "Merrick. Merrick, honey, it's time to get up." The boy stirred, then nuzzled his nose into Drift's chest, unwilling to face the day. He lifted an arm up over Drift's shoulder. This surprised the Autobot samurai, and he chuckled, shaking the boy slightly in his arms.

"Your mother is right, young one. It is time to rise and meet the sun. It is a dawn of a new day." Mira cheekily smiled at Drift, as Merrick turned his head to look at her, squinty eyed and frowning. Drift dropped the boy's legs first, and began to set him down, Merrick shifting his weight forward to stand on his feet. Mira ruffled his hair and pulled him into a hug and winked at Drift.

"Say thank you," she said quietly to Merrick. The boy turned and rubbed at his eyes, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. Drift watched the boy gently, and a small smile rested on his lips as if threatening to form.

"Thanks," Merrick said, coming off his yawn.

Drift bowed slightly, "A pleasure, young Merrick."

He looked up to his mother, and rested his head against her abdomen, "Where are we going now?"

"To uncle Bryce's," she said, "Then we're going to Chicago."

...

They drove away from the plains, into Montana. Bumblebee had taken Bryce and Merrick for the drive, ever the youngster at heart, jamming to light rock music and country favorites most obviously adopted from Bryce's playlist on his phone. Mira could only imagine the chaos inside the muscle car, but swept it from her mind as she realized Merrick was as safe as he could be.

Formation, strangely, found Mira, Cade, Tessa, and Optimus in the back of the group. Crosshairs was before them, Drift the next. They thrummed along, watching the Montana hills and plans span out before them, Optimus and Mira navigating the See-All and bringing up information on KSI. They had found absolutely nothing deep in the files of the company, having traced back to its birth. They seemed clean enough, as did the owner/CEO, Joshua Joyce.

KSI had been born out of the Chicago Wars. They had raised a building on the foundations of a fallen one, Joshua having earned his millions straight of college by developing a handgun that only fired upon reading a handprint programmed into it-the "Safe Arm" he trademarked it.

From there, it was all downhill. Joyce became the number one leading shareholder in the United States and made money faster than he could spend it. He became huge in China, Japan, Russia, and England. His company, now global, was making trillions. In 2004, KSI Technologies outdid Apple, Microsoft, and Sony in their year-end sales. Joyce had become the god of the technology world, and he'd monopolized.

Then, when the Autobots came to earth, he capitalized on their arrival. He began hinting to the public that he was working on his own "Transformers", and would bring the machines to life. After the war in Mission City, Joyce invested 1.6 million dollars alone in the idea "A Safer, Better Transformer", as he quoted. He hired 4,866 new technology experts across the U.S. and erected a new research station in Boston, London, and Hong Kong just on the idea alone. Joyce was the holder of what seemed like all the hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, and he was scaring off the competition.

Then, shortly after Joyce's former PR representatives, a Mr. Dylan Gould, had been found to be siding with the Decepticons after starting his own business during the Chicago Wars, Joyce's business lost billions that year due to bad publicity. Though, more determined than ever to create a better, safer transformer, he invested his entire company into the idea. Currently, his company was entirely consumed with the idea of transforming robots, according to deeper files Optimus had pulled from the company's record pool. Mira found herself completely enthralled in the research, as did Cade. Tessa read along as well.

Before they had realized what was happening, they were high in the mountains of Montana. Mira had to pause and look at the clock, finding that three hours had trolled by without her even realizing it. Sitting back in the driver's seat of the semi, she furrowed her brow and focused on the enlarged picture of the KSI building, hovering in Chicago.

"So, what's the plan?" Tessa asked from behind them suddenly. This caught all three adults off guard, and Optimus clicked on the radio. Cade and Mira shared a look, and Mira began to re-tie her hair into a pony-tail. She felt her cell phone buzz in her pocket, with an obvious text message alert. She ignored it, reasoning it was Bryce.

"What do you mean?" Cade asked her, "We're stopping at Bryce's to plan our next move and figure out how we're getting to Chicago."

Tessa rolled her eyes, "That's nice and grand, but what are you going to do when you get in there? Just waltz up to this Joyce guy and ask him 'hey, why are you selling under the table to the military?'. I mean, if he's really in deep with this Cemetery Wind, then he's gunna have guards looking for you guys, right?"

"The girl is right," Optimus interjected, "we do need a plan of action. We cannot go into KSI without cover, and we certainly cannot confront Joshua Joyce. This has to be purely reconnaissance."

Mira nodded and brought a leg up underneath her, and leaned against the seat, crossing her arms. Resting her head against the cool upholstery, she sighed, "Right. This is gunna have to take some tact."

They made their way up the mountain in perfect file, Bumblebee leading the way. The road curved and wound its way a like beautiful pathway, consistently going up. The view from their height was amazingly beautiful, Mira could see for miles. Optimus kept tract of the elevation, his transmission consistently working to meet the requirements of the hills and climbs, his wheel ever turning sharply or slightly to round the curves. Mira was not the least bit worried up here, knowing she was in the hands of her friend, who would die before letting them fall. She watched the towering heights with a smile, and then looked to the peaks.

Finally, about an hour into the mountainous drive, they arrived at Bryce's. He had a very wide piece of mountainous land, one that had been excavated by their family many years before. Here Bryce had constructed a beautiful log cabin, along with a attached garage, storage shed, and a huge building which she knew housed Bumblebee. The layout was overlooking a huge valley, filled with an ice-cold creek running through the bottom where various form of wildlife came to drink, and provided Bryce with an adequate selection of game to hunt. He had various trails marked throughout these woods, and traveled them mostly by truck, ATV, snowmobile, or occasionally a dirt-bike, much to her disapproval.

There was plenty of room for the Autobots to park and rest, and park they did. Bumblebee parked directly in front of the house, releasing Bryce and Merrick. The boy scrambled up the porch of the cabin and practically whipped open the screen door, darting inside towards the main, heavy door. Crosshairs reversed to sit next to the attacked garage, and Drift parked on the right side of the shed's main door. Hound hid his hulking form directly beneath two towering evergreen's, and Optimus parked beside Drift. Mira, Tessa, and Cade exited the semi, as did Optimus' holoform, and he signaled the Autobots to do so as well. All of their holoforms appeared, and all eight of them approached the cabin.

Bryce welcomed them. The house was dark and cold, and Mira flicked on the lights. Bryce had no state-issued utilities; he received everything from a Cybertronian generator which ran on a powersource Ratchet had devised himself. It was perpetual, and strong.

The house came to life. Mira rounded the elongated counter-top, which was just right of the main door, lined with hand-carved barstools and littered with paperwork, knives sharpening kits, gun cleaning supplies, and dirty dishes. She gestured for Cade and Tessa to set the bags on the bar stools, and they obliged.

The log cabin was bigger on the inside than it appeared outside. It was spacious, with an open living room directly right of the door, a staircase straight back to the end of the house, and a den right off the kitchen. Bryce slept in the loft which was built into the south-end of the house. Supported with huge oaks, it was sturdy, warm, and fascinatingly well-crafted. The kitchen was hugely spacious as well, with an island and wrap around counter-tops. To the west was the table, oddly designed by their father, a metal fabricator. Build along the wall was a booth-style wooden seat, long enough to seat 10 people. The table was build into the floor, supported with shimmeringly sleek treated oak, and a granite table-top. 10 carved chairs lined (they had a bigger extended family than one would guess).

"Well," Bryce stood in the living room, closing the grate to the fireplace. He brushed the remains of wood from his hands and outstretched his hands, "Make yourselves comfortable. Mi casa, su casa." The fire began to crackle behind him, welcoming them all inside. Merrick appeared suddenly from the den and was all smiles.

"Tessa," Mira interrupted. The girl came into the kitchen, arms wrapped around her abdomen as if she was afraid the house would jump out and grab her from the walls. Mira nodded to the bathroom, which was just off the living room, "Why don't you go and take a shower and get freshened up? I'll see what I can find for clothes. I think you're about Anna's size."

"Anna?" Tessa asked in a breath.

Mira gestured to a picture on the counter-top, "Bryce's wife. She was killed on 9/11," Mira's voice dropped low, "but that's a long story," she busied herself by running water in the sink, determined to get some dishes done before they got down to business. Tessa just stood there, staring at the picture of the young woman, actually much younger than Bryce. A beautiful red-head, she had spiral curls and emerald eyes. "Go on."

"Maybe later. I'd rather stay and help you," she asked quietly, "if that's okay."

Mira gave her a crooked smile, "Then I'll offer it to your Dad first." She did so, and Cade accepted, retiring to the bathroom until he emerged sometime later, refreshed and dressed in the same jeans, but with a green and navy blue flannel shirt borrowed from Bryce, a grey t-shirt beneath that.

He came into the kitchen, where Mira and Tessa were now preparing dinner. The Autobots had retired with Bryce into the computer den, where they began conjuring up information on KSI and running diagnostics, as well as arranging transportation. Mira listened to their voices, Optimus ever calm and steady. Hound was loud and rambunctious, Crosshairs ever the pessimist, and Drift remained silent save for the occasional question.

Mira was finding it hard to concentrate, Cade next to her. He smelled terrifically like...a man. She hadn't smelt a man in a great while, and she found her body had been long since deprived. Mixed with the strong scent of Black Stetson aftershave and grinding sparks (still) he was driving her senses mad. So mad, in fact, she found herself nervous; her hands were shaking and she was blushing like mad.

Tessa had left them, retreating to the bathroom now. This left Cade and her alone in the kitchen, Merrick in the living room looking through hunting magazines. Mira quickly turned her back to Cade and dropped some chopped vegetables into a frying pan to prepare for a country stir-fry mix, exhaling a sharp breath as the knife slid across the cutting board with a scrape. Cade began pulling plates for the four of them, after Mira had informed him under her breath that the Autobots couldn't intake human substances, besides alcohol.

Her hands began to flutter, and then she finally tossed the knife onto the counter and turned to face him. Cade, surprised, stopped replacing the silverware and straightened to meet her. They locked eyes a moment and then he asked, "What?"

Opening her mouth the speak, she turned on her heel and picked up the knife and cutting board again, clamping her lips together and rolling her bottom one to bit down on it-hard. It was too soon for her to forget Will, and she looked at the wedding band on her thumb. _Oh, Lord, _she prayed silently, _Don't let this be happening. _

Tessa emerged from the shower about thirty minutes later, and food was cooked and ready. Mira set the table, and Cade began to distribute food. Merrick came bolting from the table, him and Tessa squeezing into the back corner of the bench. Mira made her way over to the den and rapped on the door with her knuckles. Grabbing the handle, she pulled it open, to find all of them huddled over Bryce, looking at the computer.

Everyone besides Optimus. He had in his hands a huge book, one of Bryce's many that he possessed. His south wall had been replaced with build-in cedar bookshelves, stacked with informative biographies, war-journals, history books, science texts, and others. Optimus' eyes scanned the pages, an old and worn copy of _Strategies of War, _his fingers gingerly lifted pages and turning them delicately. The sight almost rocked Mira back on her heels, bringing back vivid images of an Orion Pax that she'd heard of so long ago-an innocent librarian of Cybertron desperate for knowledge.

Bumblebee was the first to see her, and smiled, saluting lightly. She nodded to him, and this caught the attention of others. Optimus slapped the book closed with almost expert practice and replaced it. Bryce gave her a look and she stood in the doorway, somewhat overwhelmed but content, almost. "Supper's ready. If you all wouldn't mind, we're about to say grace."

She left swiftly, and they followed.

It took a few moments to seat everyone, eat place-setting outfitted with a delicate, crystal wineglass which had belonged to Anna's family. The center of the table sported a bowl of the steaming stir-fry, a loaf of bread was sliced and buttered, and four bottles of wine and brandy were perfectly arranged, according to date and class. Merrick had before him a glass of milk, and Tessa had water.

Bryce seated himself across from Mira, who had taken her place, surprisingly, between Cade and Optimus. Tessa had insisted on sitting next to Merrick and promised Mira she'd see that he'd eat all of his vegetables. Once everyone had quieted, Bryce said grace.

Crosshairs was the first to pick up one of the wineglasses. He was a strawberry blond-or at least, almost. He had a light, wavy type of hair which was cut short, but enough to be styled. He had his usual sunglasses atop his head-one blue lens, the other red, as was his signature trademark look in holoform and bi-pedal. Offsetting blue eyes (as they all possessed), a strong jawline with stubble matching his hair color, and an unsual scar running from his hairline, cutting seemingly into his left eye, and down onto his cheekbone. It was hardly noticeable, but present. Crosshairs was strikingly attractive, and he knew it-at least his holoform was. He picked up the glass and ran his pointer finger along the rim, the symbol of the Autobots tattooed on the top of his hand, and an emblem embedded onto a ring on his left ring finger.

"What's this for?" He asked her, shooting her a curiously upset look. She smirked at him and grabbed the nearest bottle of wine. Popping the cork off, she put it to her nose and inhaled the strong, tangy scent of the dark red liquid. A smile painted onto her lips and she stood, reaching over the table and resting the neck of the bottle on the rim of his glass. Tipping it up, the liquid began to run into the glass, and Crosshairs froze as if it were magical science about to end the world.

"Wine," she stated calmly, "I was told that holoforms were allowed fermented alcohol intake only," she shrugged, "and I decided you all deserve some. I stole some from Bryce's stash." She flashed him a style. "That stuff is from France, and it's delicious."

Anna had been a wine-taster, her parents owning a vineyard in Maryland. Her father was the CEO of a wine company which went overseas, mostly to France, Italy, and Spain. He brought back select wines for Anna every Christmas, and she'd kept them all in a cedar cabinet in the living room, hand carved by her great-grandfather with grapevines embedded deep into the wood. It was Bryce's most cherished artifact.

Crosshairs lifted the wine to his lips, and hesitated. He shot a look to Optimus, who nodded. Crosshairs sipped the drink, then removed the glass from his lips and sat a moment before replying. He nodded and looked at the glass, then lifted the bottle of wine and began to read the label. Satisfied, he replaced the bottle and seemed to relax. "Good stuff," he shrugged.

Dinner began.

It lasted well into the evening, until the food was gone. The Autobot's settled into their surroundings and relaxed, finally surmising that human alcohol wasn't as bad as they had previously imagined. Each helped themselves into a glass of wine of brandy, and then the evening really began. Mira was surprised how much they could talk nonchalantly about unserious topics.

Hound regailed them with stories of the Golden Ages and the Anciet Wars, one after the other, for at least an hour. He had taken a likening to a deep, strong wine, and he helped himself to more than half of the bottle. He was sitting directly across from Merrick and had the boys full, utmost undivided attention; lost were the realizations of war and humanity knocking at their door. He was telling an obviously funny tale about Warpath, a hero left on Cybertron, and the end of the story had everyone at the table laughing, or in Optimus' case, smiling.

Drift, sitting directly between Crosshairs and Hound, started on a proverb learned from his master back on Cybertron. It was a tale of wisdom, to remember to look behind you at the fallen but not to take them with you. It was cleverly entertaining, and this threw him and Hound into an argument about wise tales and wisdom truths. Finally, Crosshairs had to stand and grabbed a shoulder of each holoform, and pulled them away from each other.

"That's enough of that!" He hollered good-naturedly, "Would both you frag heads just agree to disagree and we can write off the next 16 eons of you two's friggin' arguments," this made Bumblebee, who was seated beside Bryce, begin to snicker from his place. Drift just gave Crosshairs a sour look, and waved him off, and Hound furrowed his brow and grabbed Crosshairs' wrist and pulled him into his face.

"One more wise-aft remark of yours and I'll cram your spoiler up your aft."

Crosshairs sputtered a laugh.

"Hey! That's enough!" Mira pointed a finger at the two of them, "No more swearing in front of my son."

Merrick tossed her a look, "Mom…."

She gave him a warning look, "Say one more word, Merrick Elijah."

Crosshairs seated himself and gestured to Merrick with his glass. "Listen to your ma, kid," he nodded to Mira, "she ain't kiddin."

"You," Mira plucked the glass from him, "Have obviously had enough." Mira hadn't thought about the Autobots getting hammered; she hadn't even known that was possible. But, by Crosshairs' obviously over-sarcastic mouth, she realized it was entirely possible. Seating herself again, the table was a commotion of "oooooooh, you got it now, 'Cross" and other jibes. She all tossed them a look and then glanced at Optimus.

"Back me up here would you?" she laughed lightly, notcing Optimus had hardly said a word all evening, much less spoken. He had taken to brandy, which made her a bit nervous—brandy was a strong drink that men with troubles and concerns ran to, and it wasn't an easy one to come off of. She swallowed thickly when he gave his Autobots a stern, commandeering look.

They silenced.

Bryce rose at the awkwardness of the situation and headed back into the kitchen, with the last of the dirty dishes. Cade did the same, and as they were sliding the dirty plates into the sink, the phone on the wall rang to life with a shriek.

Everyone froze. It became eerily quiet, until Bryce reached for the phone and pressed it to his ear. Clicking on speaker, Mira rose and started collecting the empty wine bottles, and Tessa rose to assist. They listened.

"_Yo, Bryce, what's happenin' my man?"_

Bryce gave a look to Mira, "Not much, Tommy," he said quietly, seriously. "I was wondering if you were still in the flying business."

"_Wonderin'? Bruddah, you know I still fly high! Whattya need?"_

A sigh of relief from Bryce, "I was in the need for a C4-I need to haul some cars and trucks into Chicago for a display," this made the man on the other line burst into a laugh, "I picked up some work from a friend of mine. You still got a C4?"

"_Sure thing!" _

He was quiet a moment before Mira nodded to him, "And you still fly off the charts?"

_"Mhmmmm…"_

The group breathed a sigh of relief, and Bryce picked up the handset and walked into the den to make arrangements. They were in, and off the charts into Chicago. Tessa and Mira quickly began cleaning the kitchen, the Autobots still seated around the table. They began to confer about KSI again, leaving Mira, Cade, and Tessa in the kitchen.

Mira's hands began to tremble again, this time not because of Cade. She was realizing the days that laid ahead of them. Lockdown was right behind them, she was sure, and KSI was dealing under the table, providing weapons to Cemetery Wind-weapons which were developed enough and strong enough to hurt her family. Unfocused, she dropped a plate back into the sink again, this time it colliding with the ceramic. It clattered, and this quieted the entire house. Picking it up again, she began to think about Ratchet and the Wreckers, as well as Ironhide and Jazz, who lay broken but not forgotten at the bottom of the Laurenchian Abyss.

Then, a shocking question came into her mind, one that made her spin around with soapy hands and a plate at hand to grab the attention of Optimus. He had pushed his chair it slightly, had an arm draped around the back of her empty one, and was in conversation with Crosshairs. He must've felt her staring, because he glanced at her and then fully gave her his attention. "Miriam?" He asked, gently. His face had a look of concern now and he leaned forward, arms on the table now. "Are you alright?" This made the entire group look over at her.

"What happened to Ratchet and the Wreckers' bodies?" she asked bluntly. This made the air thick was question, and everyone was silent, even Merrick. They all were still, looking at her, until she unknowingly released the plate which hit the ground with a shattering scream and broke into cracked pieces. Mira cleared the kitchen in two strides and stood at the head of the table now, hands on the table-top, locking eyes with Optimus Prime, who was reading her every move, and every thought.

"Mira—"

She put up a hand to quiet him, "Listen to me. What happened to their bodies? I know choppers took them away, but to where? We released Ironhide and Jazz and the others into the ocean," she began gesturing with her hands and pacing now, "but what of Ratchet and Sentinel and Megatron? The others? Where are they?"

Optimus just stared at her, "I don't understand what you are asking, Mira."

"Optimus," she almost whined in frustration, "_what is Cemetery Wind doing with the bodies? _I can bet they aren't dispersing them into the ocean, because the public would know about it, right? Where are they taking them? Think about it!"

There was silence in the group a moment. Cade and Tessa came back to the group some time later and seated themselves again, "You don't think they're selling them to KSI, do you?" Crosshairs suddenly asked. This had the entire group gripped now, and he looked up at her, "What?"

Mira's face lit up, "You're brilliant!" she grabbed the dry dishtowel from her shoulder and whipped it onto the table. "Absolutely brilliant, Crosshairs!" Excitedly, she grabbed his face in her hand and planted a kiss on his cheeks so quickly she hadn't even realized she'd done it. Hurrying to the den, she burst through the door and grabbed Bryce's laptop, removing the Shield from around her neck.

The group just stared at Crosshairs, shocked. His mouth had dropped open and was still open until she returned. Quickly sliding into the chair next to Optimus, she wrapped her palm around the Shield and situated her thumb over top the end, and closed her eyes. "Voice recognition," she ordered.

_"Voice authenticated." _

She then hovered the Shield beside the laptop, and it scanned the USB port and transformed itself into the appropriate device. Injecting it into the computer, she waited for it to fully optimize the machine before giving the order for the Shield to break the firewall and hack into the mainframe computer of KSI, pulling the deepest files. It did so and began configuring. Noticing the entire table staring at her, she furrowed her brow and shot a look to Crosshairs, as if he'd turned into a monster. "What?"

"Did you just…? Do you…?" Cade asked from across the table, utterly astounded. Tessa looked horrified and Merrick had frozen in place. She sighed and closed her eyes, then waved the comment off.

"Oh please. I was excited." She glared at Crosshairs, who had a smirk, "Don't flatter yourself." He just chuckled now, and she shook her head, glancing at the computer. It was going to take a while to extract everything she had requested, and she looked towards the bathroom. Optimus was just staring at her, as if she'd turned into a Cybertronian herself. "Once this authenticates the files, see what you can find. I'm going to shower, and then it'll be time to get on the road to Tommy's." She got up from the table and left them, vanishing into the bathroom and closing the door solidly behind her.


	25. Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

**...**

Mira had showered and changed, effectively tying her hair into its usual mess of bun and curls. After emerging and finding the only one remaining at the table had been Crosshairs and Prime, she seated herself beside Optimus and started looking through the files the Shield had extracted from the mainframe computer system of KSI. To her surprise, it had found a file marked CONFIDENTIAL, yet unopened. Optimus was staring at the computer screen, a look of intense contemplation on his face.

Reaching for the mouse pad with an eager finger, she gave him a look, "What are you waiting for…?" She pressed her finger against the smooth box, only to have Optimus grab her wrist with such force and speed it shocked it. She squealed, pulled her hand back, and he locked eyes with her. His stare was hot and passionately fervent, and had deep warning. She locked her eyes in his and waited.

"Do not open it just yet," he cautioned her, "Now is not the time, nor place."

She furrowed her brow. "And why not? Don't you want to know what's happened to Ratchet and the Wreckers?" She looked away at mention of them, "I'm almost sure—"

"Sometimes fate has a way of keeping things we should not know from us," Optimus said solidly, "and it is best to let sleeping dogs lie, as your people would say. We will find out what we need to find out when we go into KSI, and only then will we know. It is best not to have preconceived ideas—as preconceived ideas have a way of affecting our judgments and our ability to act," Optimus rose and slipped the Shield out of the USB port of the laptop and stood behind her, slowly draping the necklace around her neck. Then, graciously he lifted the stray pieces of curl from around her face and let the Shield fall into place around her neck. "…patience is a virtue, dear one."

She grasped the Shield between her fingers, Crosshairs looking at the pair of them as if they were royalty. "There's _way _too much friggin' leadership in this room," he snorted sarcastically, kicking out his chair and rising, "I'll be outside if you ladies need me." Then, surprisingly, he tipped his head to Mira and vanished out the door.

Optimus just blinked, and Mira stood slowly, closing Bryce's laptop. "I'm not sure why knowing about Ratchet and the Wrecker's is so vital to our mission," Mira whispered, placing the laptop under her arm and balancing it against her wrist and hip. She gave Optimus a soft look of submission, "But I'll trust you."

He nodded. "That is all that I ask."

Bryce came out of the den and replaced the phone in the next moment, a green military-style messenger bag draped over his broad shoulders. He then grabbed one of Mira's backpacks, and began transferring out gear onto the counter. He quickly began discarding what they wouldn't need, and replaced what they would in the messenger bag. Optimus asked the next question, "What did you find out, Bryce?"

Bryce glanced at the holoform, "Tommy is set and ready to fly. It'll take about 45 minutes to get out to the airstrip, he has some C5's ready to rock and roll," Bryce shrugged a shoulder.

"And what does he require for payment?" Mira came up beside Optimus on his left. She had Merrick's backpack at hand, "He's not just doing this for free."

Bryce nodded at Optimus, "All he wants is to shake your hand and he's good." This surprised Optimus, evident by the look of curiosity on his face. "There's just a couple of things me and Cade should go over before we leave. Weapons wise. Bumblebee has some stuff out in the big shed, if you're in need of anything," He looked out the window off the living room, "but otherwise we're golden."

Mira nodded, "Okay then. You still have handguns above the fridge?" She walked over, Optimus wrinkling his brow. She pulled the box from on top of the fridge, a beautifully carved black and brown tinder box. Opening it, she withdrew a Ruger .22, and a Baretta handgun. Grabbing the magazines, she replaced the box and headed towards the door.

"Let's roll," she said, swinging open the doors.

...

After trading weapons between Cade and Bryce was completed, they hit the road running. They cleared out of Bryce's quickly and quietly, hardly leaving any trace of movement. They drove out single file, Bumblebee and Bryce leading the way. Merrick had declined Bryce's company, instead opting to ride with Drift

This surprised everyone, and Hound made note of it quickly, "_Seems the kid is warmin' up to Drift a bit faster than one could imagine_," he said over the communication system set up between him, Optimus, and Mira, "_Never thought I'd see the day that Drift found a friend in a little guy."_

Mira smiled, and Optimus chimed into the conversation, "It is encouraging, to say the least, that even in a time of desperation does trust establish." Hound chuckled and signed off then, leaving Mira and Cade alone again. Tessa had vouched to ride with Merrick and Drift, insisting that Merrick needed some type of company—and Drift some type of salvation from the wiles of a little boy, since Mira had obvious "military stuff" to do.

"You think Drift and Merrick are getting along?" Mira glanced into the rearview, "I don't want Drift to assume responsibility—"

Optimus chuckled at this and the holoform appeared in the driver's seat. He shot her a flashing gaze, on that rocked her to the core, and had her resting against the panel of the passenger's side door. Cade was between them, in one of the seats behind them. "I believe Merrick is good for Drift," Optimus nodded contentedly, "Primus knows Drift needs someone to depart his wisdom on, someone that will listen far more than any of my Autobots can. And Drift will assume whatever responsibility is set upon him as a personal burden, as he always had," he rolled his head to give Mira a 'you-already-knew-that' type of look, "so I am not concerned. Rather, I am relieved."

She sighed, "I just don't want Drift to think he has to watch over Merrick when he doesn't want to. It's not right, and Merrick is not his responsibility, he is mine. Drift is not Merrick's guardian. He can't be." The thought spewed out of her mouth faster than she had anticipated, and Optimus blinked at her and smiled lightly, one hand draped over the wheel, the other resting lazily on the gear-shift on the floorboards. Cade looked between them, listening.

"What makes you think Drift could not assume the privilege?" Optimus challenged lightly, "He seems fond of the boy. I can imagine no foreseeable problems with the match."

"We're not talking about matches, Optimus," Mira quipped, "this is not matchmaker. We're talking life and death stuff here, you know this," she rolled her eyes, "how much discussion did we have about us? This is not something to base off of…a six year old boy's fascination."

Optimus raised a brow, "And why not? I am grown, and responsible for my own actions," he chided her softly, "and I assumed responsibility for a life other than my own based purely on fascination," Mira raised her brows at him as if he were joking. "Do not look at me that way. I am entirely serious."

"You were _fascinated?" _The word rolled off her tongue as if it were a joke, "You are a Prime. A _Prime. _You don't make decisions based on fascination with a human."

"Do not tell me what I am, Mira. I am no different than anyone else." He gave her a stern look, "I am who I am because of circumstance, and a desire to see a world through a different perspective, a decision based on action and words. Not privilege." Then, he outstretched a hand over the gearshift and cupped her cheek against the palm of his hand, and stroked her jawline with his thumb tenderly. "Why must you focus so much on my position of power, when all I desire is for you to focus on who I am? You tell us to see you for whom you are, not what you are on the outside. See me for who I am, Mira. Not for my position. For if that is all you saw of me, I would've rather Optimus never have been born."

The holoform slowly began to dissipate. Cade gave Mira a look until Optimus had vanished, the cab no seemingly sucked empty of life. Her stomach began to burn in a falling pit of rage down to her feet at the realization he had referred unto himself as Orion Pax, until she swore she had been hollowed and emptied at his words. Glancing out the window, she swallowed thickly and shot a look to the Bugati before them from the corner of her eye. She saw Merrick's bouncing form in the backseat, and closed her eyes.

...

"Takeoff in twenty minutes," Bryce seated himself along the wall of the huge C5 aircraft some hour later, after having cleared things with the control tower and signed a few necessary waivers. "Tommy is gearing up now."

Mira nodded, and rested her head against the cool metal of the plane, letting her eyes slide closed. Merrick sat beside her, and she draped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. "Alright, sounds good. ETA?"

"Roughly 12 hours," Bryce cringed slightly. Tessa and Cade entered the plane now, ushered in by the pilot, Tommy. He nodded to Mira and playfully saluted Bryce. Making his way through his checks, Cade seated himself on the other side of Merrick, Tessa the other side of Mira. All five of them watched quietly as the Autobots were situated on the plane; a tight fit for sure.

Merrick looked up at her, "Momma," he asked, "where are we going now?" The innocence in his small voice was heartbreaking, and Mira almost choked out a sob. Her poor son, thrust into a war he didn't even understand, against an enemy so much bigger than any of them. She looked at Cade, who wrapped an arm around Merrick's shoulder as well and gave him lopsided smile.

"We're going to Chicago," Cade said cheerily," you ever been there?"

Merrick shook his head. "No," he shrugged, "I haven't been anywhere outside Texas than I can'member," Merrick had actually been many places as an infant, when Mira and Will had been big in NEST some years ago, but the boy was right: he hadn't been anywhere outside of Texas that he would've been able to recollect. It was painfully obvious by the frown on his face.

"Well, Chicago is beautiful," Cade reassured him with a wink, "your Ma has been there, right, Mira? It's a beautiful city."

A soft smile played onto her lips as she remembered it before the war, so serene and perfect. Now it was like an ugly scar had ran directly through it and had shattered all of its flawless beauty, "It is a beautiful place, Merrick. You'll like it. Lots to see."

"I sure hope so," Merrick said, his voice flat, "because Texas is _boring. _It's all field and hot and...flat."

This threw them into a chuckling fest and Tessa snickered girlishly, "You'll appreciate it someday, Merrick."

"Yeah. Texas is a good place to raise a family," Bryce chimed in, "A decent state. Wide open spaces, friendly people. Beautiful sky. Priceless there, really." Bryce nodded to Cade, "Ain't that right, Cade?"

Mira glanced over to him, and then lowered her gaze to the floor of the plane. The engines began powering up and the plane began to tremble with energy. Cade scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and then a figure was before them, a man dressed in a pilot's suit with a headset on. He gestured for Mira to stand. She did so.

"General Lennox," he extended a hand, "My name is Everett Heart. I'm in charge of navigations," the hatch began to close loudly beside them with a shriek of gears and clanging metal and Mira nodded. "The pilot would like you and Optimus Prime's assistance in the cockpit, if that's all right."

She nodded, flashing a look at the semi. "Of course. We will join you." He nodded and touched the headset, muttered something into the microphone, and gestured for her to follow. Walking passed the Western Star, she rapped on the fender with a knuckle lightly and looked up to the window. "They need us in the cockpit, Optimus."

The holoform appeared beside her. Feeling awkward after their conversation earlier, she thought it best to just pass by him quietly, but he stopped her. A strong palm pressed up against the side of the truck, blocking her from moving forward. Rippled with muscle and thickness, she didn't dare defy his gesture, and faced him. "I apologize for what I said. I did not mean to correct you so...harshly," he had a tender apology in his voice and in his icy eyes, "You know I would never intentionally hurt you."

She gave him a soft smile and then touched his cheek with her hand, "I know. I forgave you as soon as you said it." Then, dipping under his arm, she cast a look over her shoulder and around the side of the truck to Merrick, who had taken to sitting in between Cade's legs. Bumblebee was before Cade's feet, sitting cross-legged, actively teaching some type of hand game to Merrick.

Bumblebee was a blonde with shimmering highlights, and was a youthful 23 years old. He had a blond goatee around his mouth, matched with immensely blue eyes and soft, fair skin. He possessed freckles and wavy hair, and was extremely broad shouldered. He reminded Mira of a surfer stuck on the beach the way he wore a beaded, Autobot insignia necklace and a no-sleeved black t-shirt, with faded blue jeans and boots. She smiled as Tessa learned the game as well, Bumblebee quirking and clicking and clapping his hands with a smile to offer them much-deserved praise. Mira must've not realized she was smiling, because Optimus was chuckling beside her, arms crossed over his thick chest.

"They are quite a sight, aren't they?" He whispered deeply. His baritone melted over her like honey, and she nodded slowly, turning as he did. They wound their way between Crosshairs and Hound, towards the cockpit. The pilot called overhead to prepare for take-off and the engines wound up with a shriek of possessive energy. Slipping through the cockpit door, Optimus enveloping the entire doorway behind her, the navigator, and co-pilot acknowledged them with a nod.

"Sir, ma'am," the co-pilot said to them formally, "pleasure to make your acquaintance. Skyloft's the name. Glad you could accompany us up here. Everett here is in need of some coordinates on exactly where you need set down."

Mira glanced at the map spread out across the man's knees, him with a pencil and logbook. She came up beside him and began scanning the map with her eyes and then pointed to Chicago. "Just outside Chicago works, if you can get us in a private landing strip off the charts, and out from beneath radar." The man looked up at her quizzically and she raised her brows from behind her glasses, "Can you manage it?"

He shot a look to Optimus, and then to Skyloft, who nodded once, extremely firm. Then Everett shrugged a shoulder and touched the headset around his ears and nodded twice, "Yes ma'am. I'll get you close."

"How close?" Optimus asked seriously.

He looked over at Optimus, pale. "Very close."

...

They landed the next dawn quietly. After saying good-bye to the pilots and using the Shield to cancel any trace of their presence in the log systems of the C5, they departed towards the city limits.

It was a quiet drive, one that was welcoming for sleep. The humans slumbered quietly with their respectfuls; Bryce with Bumblebee, Merrick and Tessa with Drift yet again, and Mira with Optimus. Crosshairs had taken in Cade, simply because the guy seemed interesting and in desperate need of some man talk that wasn't with a walking haiku, or a gunspitting commando. Crosshairs seriously doubted he would want to talk to Optimus, since Optimus seemed to barely talk to anyone without rocking the boat and putting his foot in his mouth lately.

So, Crosshairs, now with Cade in the driver's seat, drove behind Drift, watching carefully as night threatened his headlights. Optimus lumbered behind him ever carefully, Mira obviously asleep. Cade was still awake, surprisingly, watching the darkness around him and extremely tense. Crosshairs decided to break the ice.

"Something eatin' at you?" He asked, optimistically. He had somewhat of a hatred boiling within him at these humans, but Crosshairs had decided long ago that Mira was good. She possessed grace and helpfulness, willingness. She was almost as inspirational as Optimus was when it came to their cause, and he'd made up his mind that any friend of hers could be tolerated, if not someday liked. "You seem pretty quiet, mate."

Cade looked to the radio. "Nah, nothin' worth talking about, I guess. I don't think you'd understand."

Crosshairs chuckled, "Try me."

He released a heavy breath, "I don't know if you guys have this on your planet, but, have you-y'know, have you ever liked someone?"

Surprised, he replied, "You mean a sheila?"

"A woman, yes."

This erupted an arrogant laugh, "Oh, mate, is that your worries? A chick?" he almost wanted to smack the man upside the head, he'd been married before, hadn't he? Crosshairs had never tried to understand human emotions, they were complicated, and had never understood their concept of love either. On Cybertron you found the one you loved, charged with them, and you were set for life. It wasn't exactly rocket science, but something told Crosshairs this situation of Cade's involved someone a bit...unique.

"She's...she's not exactly normal," Cade said roughly, with enough hinting to solidify Crosshairs' musing. This made him curious, if not...concerned. Cade had no idea what tree he was barking up, to use a human analogy. He downshifted slightly as Drift slowed, breaklights flashing briefly. The gearshift dropped down a click and then he repressed the accelerator.

"I getchya," Crosshairs confirmed, "and to answer the first question, yeah, I did have a sheila once." He didn't know what was coming over him-this human had absolutely no right to be anywhere near his memories and past experiences, he had forfeited that right by simply being human.

Crosshairs had lost faith in these humans, save Mira. They had stabbed his people in the back, and that was enough to repel him and keep him introverted here on this planet. Really he worked for no one other than Optimus Prime by sheer necessity, and had forced himself to stay on this planet after the Prime had sent a distress transmission asking for Autobots to land. He'd been welcomed by humanity for only a brief few months, and then that welcome was brutally crushed by the expiration of the team from the government.

They'd killed his pride. His friends. His leader. They'd killed everything that had meant something to Crosshairs, here on this world, but mostly they'd killed his spirit for exploration, adventure. Once he had thrived on discovery, exploration of the stars. Now he hated the very prospect of having to travel and chance trust again-Cade's people had crushed his resolve, and that was something Crosshairs did not just give up.

So, for him to be exchanging his past with this human, Cade Yeager, was extremely...rare. But, he felt something inside his spark telling him that Cade needed this, and so did his other friend, the one that wasn't "exactly normal", as Cade had tenderly put it. So, he'd...humor the man.

He remembered, so long ago, an image that he'd sworn so many times that he would forget. But, everytime he remembered he so vividly, as if it had been yesterday she'd been ripped from him at the hands of the Star Seekers, so brutally torn away. He'd been unable to save her, unable to find her for so many eons until he'd heard of her death in the mire of Kaon, beside Prowl, the chief of Cybertron's police. He'd only been able to identify her Autobot insignia, which had long ago suffered a unique scarring to the plating from a skirmish at Crystal City.

He'd tossed that insignia into the Mithric Sea.

"And?" Cade prodded.

If he'd been able to make a face, he would've been a glowering glare, "Don't push your luck, human. I still hate your race, remember that." He tapped the brakes again as Drift did so ahead of him, but then retained his speed as Cade rested his arm against the ledge of his window. He watched the radio, waiting.

"Sorry," Cade said, slightly apologetic.

Crosshairs snorted, "Yeah, right." Then, feeling somewhat like an afthead, continued with his thought, "_Anyway. _Her name was Mythia. She was an Autobot defense gunman, high in the ranks, too. Best shot you could ask for in Iacon," he chuckled at the thought of her shouting orders and manning the defense cannons so long ago offline, "She was a heckuva femme."

Cade looked down, "She's dead, huh?"

Crosshairs was quiet a moment, "Yep. She was killed by a form of Cybertronian space pirates, Star Seekers we call them. Dismembered. All we could identify was her insignia." His voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry," Cade said quietly, his voice obviously sincere. Mira had said that he'd lost his wife when Tessa had been born, roughly 18 years ago. So, he and Crosshairs weren't so far apart afterall, a fact that disturbed Crosshairs more than comforted him. He wanted nothing from these humans, and absolutely did not want to be close to them at all. "That's rough, Crosshairs."

"You ain't had it so easy either, I've heard."

Cade looked away coldly out the window. "Emily was...Emily was a long time ago." He said roughly. Ouch, he'd touched a nerve, something he hadn't wanted to do. Quickly changing the subject, Crosshairs added to Cade's first thought.

"So...this chick's ailing you that much, huh? What she do?" He couldn't think that Mira had done anything, if that was for sure who they were talking about. But anyone with optics could see that Cade had the hots for the chick, that was for sure. Why exactly Crosshairs didn't know, but he'd seen that look before in mech's and human men alike, and it was intensely strong.

"Nothing. She did absolutely nothing but walk right in my life and flip it upside down."

"Hmmm...Mira does that. She's good at it."

"I dunno how she did it, I honestly don't! One day she hands me a camera and asks me to finish it, and the next? I'm tossed into a robotic war of the millenia-" his voice cut out by an abrupt realization and he shot a look to the radio. "-how'd you know it was Mira?"

Crosshairs chuckled sarcastically, "It ain't hard to notice, Cade. I wasn't formed yesterday." Feeling slightly like a jerk, he comforted Cade, who was now an embarassed, bright red wreck, "but, then again I'm...then again, it isn't too noticeable between humans. If it makes you feel any better, she likes you too."

He glared at the radio. "Nuh-uh. You're lying."

"And why would I lie? To you?" Crosshairs snapped at him, "I'm not like your kind, Cade Yeager. I'm not a lying, egotistical, thieving and murdering frag-off. I'm actually _decent_." His voice dripped with sarcasm, and then he spat back at him, "...take my word for it. She does."

The conversation dropped after that, and Crosshairs made the drive in silence until Cade's breathing stabilized into a light snore. He rolled his eyes.

Humans.

...

They arrived in Chicago just two hours before dawn. Optimus had set the rendezvous point just a few blocks from KSI, in an overly large shipping yard. They'd parked and allowed their human counterparts a few hours more rest until the sun was touching the horizon, and then he gently nudged Mira awake. She rolled over on her side to face the driver's seat, eyes hardly open. A yawn escaped her as she pulled her body tighter together in a ball, if possible.

A sigh escaped her. "Primus. I can't believe we made it."

"We have. It's time to rise, we have much work to do."

Mira sat up and the door to the cab popped open. Cade and Bryce were already outside, Tessa hardly awake and a yawning ball of exhaustion. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Optimus felt sorry for the human children-he had not meant to bring younglings into such a mess of adult affairs. He pushed the agonizing guilt away, reasoning that he could not change the course of events no matter how much he would so desire.

He watched her from the cab, and listened as they made plans. They'd find shelter for the day and stake-out KSI for security and find their best way in before making any sudden entrances. She told Bumblebee and Bryce to cross-section the city for any abandoned warehouses not far from KSI, and implied Bumblebee run the scan, and he complied willingly. Then she told Bryce and Cade to find some type of food for them to eat, but to keep low. She and Tessa would remain with the Autobots until business hours, and then plan some-type of cover-story. It was beginning to show, her leadership; he noted. Beginning to show quite nicely.

The Matrix within him thrummed, as if in approval.


	26. Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**...**

They'd stationed themselves in the abandoned parking lot, waiting until Cade and Bryce returned with provisions for them to eat. Merrick had gotten to the point where he just couldn't sit any longer, so Drift and Crosshairs had volunteered to take the boy on a casual patrol with them.

Actually, Drift had volunteered, Crosshairs had complained.

Optimus had decided this was an idea with some merit, as it would serve the boy good to stretch his legs and break away from all the adulthood he'd been suffocating in. Optimus could see it in the boys' eyes he was desperate for release, and he was not about to without it from him.

"But he'll make _noise_," he'd whined to Prime, "and that's something we can't afford on a _scouting mission!_"

Prime had challenged him, "Take the boy with you, Crosshairs. He will be quiet if you ask him to, I assure you. Have some faith in the child."

"Why? I don't even have faith in the adults!"

They'd left, and with that pointed phrase, had left with tension in the air. This left Optimus and Hound alone with both Mira and Tessa, which was fine. Optimus found the two of them had seemed to resolve their differences nicely, which encouraged him.

But watching them brought forth an entire new emotion within his spark that he instantly hated, but could not seem to will himself to let go. He felt a burning hatred towards these humans, on this planet. Only a few days ago he'd been mystified with this place, this planet so far into the stars and into the mystique of the unknown that it was baffling.

Now, though, he hated this place. This corner of the universe that was so perversely violent. Optimus Prime had hoped this race could become what his could not, that they would not suffer the same fate as Cybertron. But they had already done so, turning against their own to fulfill the call of war. Perhaps they'd been doing this all along and had blindsided him within his fascination. Maybe he was just too pure-sighted and trusting. Optimus Prime did not know what he was, besides that he was twisted in his emotions, to the point where he had a burning feeling in his spark towards these humans that was not particularly good.

Crosshairs was essentially right-they did not trust this place anymore, this species they had invested so much in. Optimus instantly wished he could return to the time where peace and trust had been the foundation of this friendship, but he knew all too well it could not happen-wouldn't happen. These humans were too hard-hearted, too deceived-too frightened. Fear was often the instigator of bad judgment, he'd realized in his time as Autobot Commander, and those bad judgement calls ended up with wrong decisions and quick reactions; reactions which could slaughter millions. Millions here, he noted, if Lockdown had anything to do with this KSI and governement negotiations-if that were the case, this was a bigger issue than Optimus Prime had hoped for.

He hoped to Primus it wasn't.

...

Tessa sat crosslegged on the pavement, fiddling with the end of her hair, staring off into the distance of the towering buildings. Mira stood beside her, leaning against Prime's chassi, running her hands across the Baretta she'd taken from Bryce's house just hours before. It glistened in the sunlight, and she put it away, suddenly aware of its dangers-it wasn't beautiful, it was horrific. She suddenly became aware of how much killing this endeavor may result in, and a lump formed in her throat.

Cade and Bryce returned 45 minutes later, with food. They'd purchased fruit and cereal bars, with a bottle of water and orange juice. Bryce passed around the food and they ate, Mira watching the corner for any sign of Drift, Crosshairs and her son. Her heart ached at the thought of him being away from her, but was solidified in peace at the realization he was with allies-friends.

Soon, the two cars re-joined them. Merrick came hustling out of the car, all smiles, and took the bar and fruit which was offered to him by Bryce. He seated himself on Prime's running-board, an action Mira hoped that Prime did not mind, and swung his legs back and forth as they did not touch the ground. Mira seated herself beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"So," she began, rubbing his shoulders, "the big plan is to get in undetected. Bryce can cover our tracks, make sure we get in past security. How would the scanners go, since the building is probably secure. Could you get us in off the charts?"

Bryce shrugged, "Probably not. It's probably constructed that no one can get in or out without a security badge, as there are probably guards. Any way into the building will require a badge, especially if you want in the back ways," he puffed out a breath, "so that's a problem."

Hound spoke up from his place, "Not really. If you and 'Bee could figure out way to whip up some fake ID's, that'd be easy enough. Or get some pre-existing ones."

Cade gave him a look, "And how're we supposed to do that? Just walk up and ask someone?"

"I never said you had to _ask_,"

Tessa's head popped up now, frowning. "No way are we stealing anything else!" she exclaimed, "we're already fugitives!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, sweetheart," Crosshairs said sarcastically, "that won't be what gets you thrown in the bighouse anyway. It'll be espionage, treason-"

Cade shot him a pointed look, "Would you just stop, please? Thank you."

Mira put up a hand, "Guys, concentrate. Hound's right, we're going to have to jack some ID's from somewhere. Bryce, can you scan any and make duplicates? I'm sure we have enough tech between all these guys to get that done-at least." She looked around to them and then tapped Prime's cab door with a knuckle lightly, "What do you say, Prime?"

Prime contemplated a moment before his engine rumbled with a reply, "I believe Hound is correct as well. We will have to obtain identification that is acceptable to the system illegally." He then continued, "I am looking over the floorplans for the building now. There's a dock in the east side of the building, what they have called a 'scanning bay'-I'm assuming they are scanning some type of vehicles, considering it is in a garage layout." He was quiet a moment before continuing, "That is low-profile enough. Once Cade and Mira are in there, they are not far from the experimental laboratory, where we could find information on technology and weapons."

Bryce asked the next question, "And what about Mira's hunch on the Autobots?"

"Mira will investigate that personally," Optimus said sharply, Mira bristling at her name. Flummoxed, her face distorted into a wrinkled mess, and she looked up at the window. "as I trust her to do the job well."

"Why don't you guys go in and use the holoforms?" Tessa asked quickly. This made everyone look at her, "Can't you do that?"

Optimus answered this question, "As stated before, we do not know the capacity of the technology KSI possesses, meaning we are unable to know if they have the ability to recognize holographic energy signatures, which are unique to our holoforms. It could potentially jeopardize the mission."

Cade nodded in understanding, "Makes sense."

Bryce looked to Bumblebee and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, looks like we have our mission cards, eh, Bee? Let's go see what we can rustle up for badges." Bumblebee made a series of quirks and clicks, and finally popped open the door. Merrick found this inviting and shot up from his place on the running board.

"I wanna come! Please, please!" He looked with begging eyes to Mira, who shook her head no. He frowned and got a depressed look on his face, pouting slightly. "Aww, Ma! Please!?"

"No way, Scout," Bryce shook his head as well, "you gotta stay here, bud. I'll be back and you can help then, ok?" Merrick crossed his arms and stomped his feet in protest, and Mira frowned at him roughly. He scuffed his foot on the ground, and Bumblebee's radio came to life.

_"Maybe next time, squirt." _Then, Bryce and Bumblebee left them, making their way towards the KSI building. Merrick shrugged his shoulders and watched them turn the corner, and Mira watched as Crosshairs came up behind the kid and gently touched his grille to the back of the boy's legs, as if to cheer him up.

"Bumblebee's right, kid," he said with forced affection, "your time will come. We'll need you eventually." Mira didn't appreciate his sarcasm, but realized it was as affectionate and sincere as Crosshairs was going to get. She learned to appreciate it.

Merrick did not look relieved, "Hmph." Was all he managed. Then, he seated himself next to Tessa. Mira smiled at him sheepishly, somewhat sorry for her boy's disappointment. She looked to Tessa and stood, walking over to the backpack Cade and abandoned, instead leaning against Drift's fender with his arms crossed. She bent and picked out some of the cash which was left and slipped it into her pocket. She looked at Cade and sighed.

"Well, we'd better get ourselves a decent form of cover. We can't go in like this, we'll be spotted if Savoy is anywhere near, which I don't doubt he is." He looked down to Tessa and grabbed one of the ballcap's Bryce had stashed in the backpack, "Would you mind watching Merrick while I'm gone?"

Tessa smiled and shielded her eyes against the sun. "Yep, sure. I don't mind." She rustled the boys hair, "We'll do something fun, I think."

Mira looked over to Optimus, "We'll be back. Keep in touch, let me know if something happens." She walked towards Crosshairs and gestured him forward, "We'll take Crosshairs with us, if you don't care. I say we'll be back in about an hour."

Optimus replied, "Go. We will watch for you. Don't worry about the boy and girl, we'll take care of them."

Cade nodded and looked at Tessa, "Alright then. We'll be back." He walked over to her, cupped the back of her head in his hand, and pulled her forward for a quick kiss on the forehead. Mira knelt and kissed Merrick's forehead as well and ruffled his hair, winking at him. He shrugged and said nothing.

"Listen to Optimus and Tessa," Mira warned him, "I mean it. Optimus is in charge."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed. She gave him a pointed look, "Fine!" he said louder this time. Tessa gave him a slight frown, and then looked up at Mira and shared a he'll-be-fine look. Mira left him and approached Crosshairs. Grabbing the door handle, she popped it open, and the door opened smoothly.

Cade slipped in first, and then she did as well. Seatbelts instantly clicked into place and Crosshairs shifted into first gears, then slowly pulled away from the group. The radio came alive as he stopped before making a decision to turn. "Where we off to, boss?"

"Not sure yet," Mira stated simply. This elicited a stare from Cade and silence from Crosshairs. She looked at Cade strangely, "what?"

He just chuckled sarcastically, "Well, that's a first."

Crosshairs chortled. She slammed her palm against the dashboard and scowled at him, "OW!"

"Shut up and drive," she muttered to him. "Go left."


	27. Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**...**

Lockdown crossed his arms over his chest, scanning the ground below him from where he stood on the outskirts of Chicago. He glowered at the streets below, thrumming to life with people; completely unaware of the future laying ahead of them. In some ways Lockdown felt a pinprick of compassion for them, their primitive species with their lack of understanding and technology. He could not imagine an existence in such a state—a weak planet, a weak body, a weak government. Death could arrive so swiftly here and take whom it pleased without them even flinching. They didn't seem to care.

Which made it all the more wonderful for his plan. He liked deals that were uncomplicated and unmessy. These deals were often quickly over with, which meant he had his prize, recognition, and payment; and could leave. He wanted so badly to be off this ball of planetary mass; to be away from these humans and have to stop worrying about them and trusting them. Not that his trust was much bigger than a micron, but it was trust to get the job done to say the least.

He would have his Prime—well, their Prime—and his female human, as well as his Shield. Lockdown had come to the sore realization that without the female he would not have the Shield. And without the Shield, the Matrix was really worth nothing to him. Since either of the devices could only be controlled by the Prime; the Shield could be controlled by the femme, he'd need one or the other or both to use the device to his advantage. By manipulating the femme with Prime to the point where she would break, he could get her to do whatever she wanted. And the power of both the Matrix and the Shield would be his.

What power that would be! The power to bend time, to create any slave or manipulatable object seemed almost like blissful ecstasy running through him. Oh, would galaxy's rue the day when they were shaped when he was outfitted with so much power—no Primes to stop him, no Creators. He would take what he wanted, when he wanted; no more bidding, no more deals.

A small, plotting smile crept up his face as he spotted the KSI building within the city. These humans were playing right into his hands, if only they would ever find Optimus! The smile instantly fell from his face as one of his hybrid's slunk up to him shadily, seating himself next to Lockdown's piloting chair. Lowering himself into it, he reached a hand down and patted the top of the animal's head roughly, almost menacingly. The beast did nothing, just sat stone cold still.

...

Crosshairs dropped Cade and Mira at the door the Target supercenter, then slowly made his way through the parking lot and parked himself, Mira watching before she stepped through the door. Cade was already done, heading towards the men's section, ball cap pulled low over his eyes. He then looked over his shoulder and jerked his head towards the left, above the service counter, where cameras were pointed directly at the entry. Upon realizing this, she pulled her cap over her eyes and came up beside him.

"Let's make this quick," Cade looked around for anyone who might have recognized them. Then, he jutted out an elbow for her and gave her a crookedly half smile, "let's make this look unsuspicious."

She nodded and grinned at him, "Now there's an idea."

They made their way to the clothing department, and parted after that. Mira gave him instructions to get something that looked a bit professional, but laid back as well. He nodded and walked off, leaving her with a myriad of decisions. In this instant she realized how much she hated shopping, and quickly began scanning the racks for choices.

Dresses were out of the equation, as were heels. She, filtering through the racks with a sharp eye, she finally decided on a slightly pricey pair of dark-wash Silver jeans, and a brown, suede looking suit jacket with capri sleeves and a fitted cut. Beneath that she chose a red cotton v-neck, and a pair of fashion boots which a buckle on the side. If they were going undercover as garage managers, then this would be perfect—casual, professional looking, but at the same time practical and comfortable.

Finding her selections, she discarded her previous clothing in the changing room and ripped the tags off her new finds, stuffing them in her pocket for the time being. Slipping on the boots, she straightened her coat and opted for Tessa to braid her hair down the side however far her shoulder-length cut would go. Nodding, she slipped out of the dressing rooms and made her way across the stoor towards the men's departments, stopping when she arrived at the purses. Plucking a brown, leather looking messenger style purse, she looped it over her shoulder and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

She found Cade, with a new hat and outfit, doing the last step of buckling a leather belt around his waist. He'd chosen a light wash jean, a cargo pants looking style, with hiking boots. A charcoal grey t-shirt was tactfully placed under a tan button down, the sleeve rolled up past the elbows, with white buttons. A new ballcap, a roughly looking Browning one, was pulled equally over his eyes. He smiled crookedly at her and nodded. "Let's go."

"Agreed." She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and shot Crosshairs a text message. The reached up to check the Shield between her fingers as they approached the counter, and she slipped it beneath her red v-neck, hoping the shirt would cover at least some of the emblem. When the cashier didn't stare and said nothing, they exited Target and spotted Crosshairs.

They jogged over to him and popped open the doors, Mira sliding into the driver's seat. Crosshairs shifted into first and chuckled, the radio sparking to life with a click. "Well, well," he chortled sarcastically, "she does clean up after all." Insulted, Mira looked to the rearview mirror, where a pair of flight goggles—one blue lens, the other red yet again—swayed gently as he drove. Grabbing them harshly, she pulled down and then release, the plastic lenses cracking against the plastic frame of the rearview. "Hey—Mira!" he chastised, slightly swerving out of surprise. Cade was beside her beaming widely and chuckling.

Mira frowned at him, "Not all of us are egotistical frag-heads who only care about what we look like," she leaned forward and rapped on the dashboard slightly, "bring up the See-All, I'll comm Prime." He did so and began making their way back towards the Autobots, who hadn't moved their location. Crosshairs initiated a comm and Optimus immediately responded.

_"This is Optimus." _He said, strongly. His voice was steady, unwavering—dark, almost. This surfaced Mira's previous concerns about her guardian, making her aware of his inner emotions. She could sincerely hear the distaste in his tone, the frustration; though she knew he didn't mean to show it. She was wondering how long he was going to be able to retain the angst, the hurt.

"Mira calling in," she replied, quickly, bringing up a few scans on the screen. She mapped the KSI building and looked towards the east building which Optimus had mentioned earlier, "I see your garage, Optimus. Bryce and Bumblebee back yet?"

_"Affirmative," _he used proper comm-link terminology, "_They have what they need. We are go here."_

She nodded firmly. "Roger that. Meet us at KSI, and we'll rendezvous. Code…," she initiated the chart of codes they had used back in the times when NEST was operational, "…Blackbird. We'll do a roost circle while you arrive."

Optimus chortled ever so quietly, "_Good call. We're en-route to you, give us ten minutes just to check our six for shadows. Be safe, be smart. Optimus out."_

The communication dropped, and Crosshairs navigated the street. Mira brought up the floor plan of the KSI building, finding that Bryce's hunches had been previously right—no way in undetected, motion sensors everywhere. So, they were going to need ID's to get anywhere they needed to go.

KSI was big enough—sporting a staff of roughly 180 souls, just in research "scanning", they called it. The rest of the staff just listed in an employee master log for pages, enough to make Mira's eyes cross as she scrolled down the pages. Canceling the roster, she tapped the east wing of the building, and zoomed in on it by pinching the screen and then spreading her hands apart on the windshield. Instantaneously the picture enlarged and she found the main hangar, with the security booth roughly 50 yards from the entrance. Tight security, armed. She nodded and tapped the screen with a rounded fingernail.

"That's our best bet, getting scanned at the gate," Crosshairs turned left around the intersection, making his way along the plot of the skyscraper, most obviously scouting out the perimeter, "Security is lightest there. I think they're scanning cars," she wrinkled her brow, looking to the radio, "'Cross, can you hijack a security camera in there and direct it at the gate? What are they bringing in?"

"You got it, sweetheart," he said dryly. The See-All began rapidly running through security code and she watched as he crossreferenced a camera set and blackened the screen in the security room, probably causing some type of investigation as to why the security booth's view had gone black. "There. Got a good view?"

Boy, did she! There was a line of vehicles, two extravagant muscle cars and another semi hauling a mixture of vintage, sport, muscle, and racing machines on a car/truck trailer. She wrinkled her brow and watched the guards—armed with automatic rifles—look at ID's, ask a question, and wave the car first in line forward. All of them took the same route, to the first door, and then Crosshairs cut the transmission, "That all I can give ya, Mira. They're looking into viruses and security now."

She nodded and patted the wheel, "That's fine, I got what I needed." Then, turning to Cade, she found he'd purchased three blue-tooth looking devices and had them torn apart, and was crossing wires. "—Cade?" She asked, questioningly.

He looked up, "Here, try the Shield on these," he said quickly, "I had an idea." She took the Shield from around her neck and placed it beside the device, and ran her finger over the end. Instantly it began scanning the device and transformed itself, releasing a Cybertronian probe which cemented itself into the earpiece through the mic. It began running scans and then retracted the probe. Silent and still now, Crosshairs took a sharp right and slowed.

"What is it?" The device had changed color into a deep black, with the Autobot insignia carved into the side now. He placed it between two fingers and gestured her forward, situating the earpiece in her ear and cascading a curl overtop. The device echoed a code back to her, and she instantly realized it was her old comm frequency she'd deactivated when NEST had disbanded. Shock overcame her and her stomach dropped a few feet seemingly into the floor.

He smiled crookedly, "Crosshairs, try shooting Mira a comm." He looked curious. Mira handed him the Shield, and ran her finger over the end again, Cade applying the Shield to the other two devices. Instantly it configured, and the colors changed to black again, the emblem of their allegiance boldly showing in etched silver.

"But Mira doesn't have a—" Mira stopped him by grabbing the wheel.

She spoke quietly, "Try my old frequency," she whispered touching her ear. He sighed roughly and did so, bringing up the comm line on his See-All. Instantly the frequency connected and she reached up to silence the beeping in her ear. Initiating the comm, she smiled as Crosshairs voice rang in her ear clearly, as it did in the radio.

"_What is that thing even?" _He asked, astounded, "It…it works!" She silenced the earpiece as Cade fashioned one in his ear as well, and handed the other to her. Fingering it, she gave him a look of complete surprise, and smiled then, chuckling.

"It's a communication device," Cade shrugged, "all it needed was a circuit pulled out and the Shield's configuration. Good as gold, now; and a lot less expensive." He smiled at her and she shook her head, "Simple stuff."

"You're amazing," she said bluntly, "pure and simple amazement." She turned to look out the side window as Crosshairs came to a stop in front of the building. Drift and Bumblebee had parked across the street, Hound and Optimus a few spaces down as to not draw suspicion. Bumblebee opened a door and Bryce exited, the back door opening as well to deposit Tessa and Merrick. Crosshairs released them, and Cade crossed the street first, then Mira did.

They met Bryce and Merrick and Tessa, and Mira slipped the device to Bryce and explained it with a whisper. Hovering behind Bumblebee's form, Bryce handed them each a plastic ID card, then wrapped an arm securely around Merrick's shoulders. "These will get you in," he said quietly, "try not to scan the same ID at two different spots, that'll trigger a suspicious alert. Stay cool, keep your head low." Then, he tapped Bumblebee's window and it rolled down, and he unzipped the bag. Checking over his shoulder he nodded towards the seat.

"Guns and watches. Take them and use 'em," he said. Mira reached in and grabbed the Baretta, and handed Cade a Glock. Slipping hers into her purse, Cade slipped him in the back of his pants and covered it with the t-shirt. Then, they strapped on the watched and Mira squared in front of Bryce, who was still trying to figure out the comm earpiece.

"Cool," he said, the sound resonating in her voice. "Same frequencies—we have contact with everyone?" Cade nodded and activated his, then turned it off. Bryce nodded along in understanding and rapped on Bumblebee's window again, "forward our comm numbers to the guys, 'Bee." The radio quirked and the chassi shivered slightly in reply. Then, turning to Mira, he smiled at her. "Just like the good 'ole days, eh, sis?"

She chuckled and nodded slowly, "Yeah, except now I'm no as agile, not as fast, and have a weakness," she mumbled. Looking to Merrick, she sank to a knee and winked at him, "I'll be back, okay, baby? Listen to Bryce and Tessa, you understand?" He nodded and then flung himself at her, wrapping his little arms around her neck and burying his face in her hair. This knocked her backwards against Bumblebee, where she equally wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. Tears began to form around her closed eyes, and her heart hammered. She choked back a sob and nodded, rubbing his back with her hands.

"I love you, Mamma," Merrick mumbled clumsily into her curls.

She nodded and inhaled a very shaky breath, "I know. I love you too, Merrick. So much." Letting her head rest against the Camaro, she felt the energy of the car rush to them and warm the metal against her back, Bumblebee's way of perhaps giving her a reassuring snuggle as well. She smiled when he quirked and clicked, and then the radio programmed.

"_Don't worry, about a thang…" _it switched frequencies, "_because ever-y little thing, gunna be alright…" _The Jamaican music cut out, and she smiled, chuckling. Merrick pulled away and then stood next to Bryce, wrapping a small arm around his leg. Bryce ruffled his hair and she nodded to him.

"If you need anything, just as Optimus," She said quietly. Bryce stepped forward and enveloped her in a one-armed hug, resting his chin on top of her head, her arms wrapping around his thick middle. He did not let go of Merrick's arm, and nodded gently before pulling away. "I'll be live in there, so keep in touch."

Bryce nodded once, slightly wavering, "Gothcya. If you need backup," he patted the jacket to his right, "I'm always packin'."

She chuckled and shook her head and blew a kiss to Merrick, "Be good," she chastened. He nodded furiously and she nodded to Tessa, "Keep them in line, honey. Goodness knows Bryce needs it more than any of them. Maybe not Hound…"

_"I heard that, femme."_

Touching the comm, she turned on her heel and grabbed the strap of her bag with one hand, gesturing towards the massive skyscraper with her head to Cade. Tapping on Bumblebee's hood with a flat palm, she nodded, "Okay, Bumblebee. They're scanning vintage cars, sot that' you. We'll take you in with us and then we'll part ways once we get in. Sound good?"

_"Affirmative, cap'n." _The radio quipped, "_Let's get this show on the road!"_

Stepping off the curb, Mira looked down the way to Prime's alternation mode, where the holoform was activated, and leaning an arm out the window. She smiled at him and nodded, and he raised a hand in an acknowledging wave, then reached up to touch his ear gently. "Keep an eye on my family, Optimus, while I go find yours."

_"I will watch over our family," _she noted the casual, and surprising, use of the word "our", and stopped before slipping into the driver's seat, "_as you gather the rest of it." _

Giving him a half smile, she nodded to the semi, "Right then. I'll be back."

_"I will be waiting."_

She slipped into the car, Bumblebee fired the engine, and they headed towards the entry.


	28. Twenty-Three

_Author's Note: _So, here is the long awaited "Bumblbee Meets Stinger" chapter! Just note that there are a wee bit of differences, but I referenced Youtube for the clip. Also, I decided to break KS I into a series of chapters, since the endeavor is exceptionally daunting, and I have limited amounts of time. Again, thanks for staying tuned and reviews are greatly appreciated, ya'll rock!

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**...**

Bumblebee came to an abrupt stop at the scanning gate. Mira sat in the driver's seat, one hand draped over the wheel casually, an arm propped in the open window, fingers pressing against her temple. The heart within her chest seemed foreign, pumping like an energy cannon in bursts so hot and hard that she thought World War III might've erupted within her.

Never before had Mira been so concerned about a mission-the only things running through her head were A) She may not see Merrick again, B) She may never see any of the Autobots out of this, and finally C) She had no idea what lay inside that building regarding the Autobots-or weaponry development. A firm lump formed in her throat, and she pushed it down, suddenly realizing her mouth was dry. She finally felt a hot stare, and realized Cade was watching her. He reached over and touched her other hand, which was resting casually on the floor-shift.

"We got this," Cade said quietly, watching the guards sauntering in front of them with armed weapons, inspecting a flashy looking Ferrari. They waved him on, then logged something, speaking into their talkies before turning to the Camaro, "Stop shaking," he said with a chuckle.

The radio fizzled to a low volume, _"Take a chill pill," _the radio waves hummed softly, "_we got 'dis_." It ended abruptly when one of the guards-a firm, solid looking African American man armed to the hilt-lowered his head into her window. Mira had to move her head slightly back to keep their faces from touching.

"You here for scanning?" He asked roughly. He reminded her of Ironhide, and Mira could do nothing but nod. Forcing herself to pull together, she reached up and fingered the Shield now resting behind the jacket of her suit.

"We are, yes," She extended her badge, "Katrina McGuire, garage lead. Picked this up, thought we could use it for prototypes." It sounded professional, and she reached for the radio dial, hopefully signaling Bumblebee to record the conversation and send it via live comm feed to the others. The man looked at her badge, scanning it with a hand scanner, and waved them forward. They stepped away from the car, and Bumblebee gently drove them forward.

"We're in," Cade said from beside her, smiling awkwardly, "that's a start."

She nodded, "Once inside we'll figure out where we are and make our way through Scanning and into the labs," she looked to the radio, "I'm thinking I'll head to R and D, and you get into the weapons, if possible, Cade." He nodded beside her, looking out the window.

"Why R and D?"

Mira looked out the window and up along the huge skyscraper's exterior, "Assuming that KSI is using-" she glanced at the radio before continuing, "-what's left of the deceased Autobots for research on weapons and tech, I took a guess."

Cade shrugged a shoulder, "Sure. Makes since."

Bumblebee gently took a left, pulling into a garage shaped door. They were greeted by technicians in white jumpsuits, with hard-hats and clipboards, and escorted onto a freight elevator. The technician pressed the third floor, and the door closed behind them with a loud clatter.

Up they went, and finally Bumblebee pulled off the elevator. They must've hit the wrong floor, because they were not anywhere near the scanning area. Instead they had pulled into a huge showroom floor, with a brightly colored pink-and extremely expensive looking-robot in the middle of the floor, suspended by cables. Beside it sat a magenta colored Pagani sports car. Behind that set up was a huge screen, and upon looking around, the entire room was constructed of such screens which made up the walls. Extremely bright lights shone brightly above them, and two pathways extended down onto the showroom floor probably allowed for the Pagani-and other vehicles, assumedly-to be led onto the showroom floor.

The Pagani's doors were open, and the robot was held up by two support cranes with cables attaching into the shoulders of the machine. Curiosity instantly peaked Mira, who craned her neck out of the window to see. Finally, she yanked on the door handle, Bumblebee unallowing the door to open until he stopped.

Bumblebee-finally-stopped and opened the doors for them, Mira and Cade slipping out. They scanned the room, and upon realizing it was empty, circled around Bumblebee's front and met up before the robot. Mira's brow wrinkled and she took out the Shield. Pressing her thumb against the end, she commanded a scan. It obeyed.

"Send to all Autobot frequencies," she engaged it yet again in conversation. "Mark with dire importance."

_"Command acknowledged." _It replied. Then, replacing it around her neck, she tucked it back under her jacket and looked to Bumblebee.

"What do you think, 'Bee?" Cade asked beside the car. Mira circled around the Pagani, and then wrinkled her brow, tapping the comm in her ear. She bit her lower lip and then craned her neck back to see the entirety of the machine.

"I think they're making their own versions," she turned and then saw specks on screen which was entirely black, the sketches drawn in white through an online program. She saw the Pagani in a half-transformed state and shook her head, "someway they are. I'll bet it's through the corpses."

Then, suddenly, there was a soft ping, and the screen beside her lit to life. Instantly there was a white background, and an Asian woman slowly began to fade in. Dressed in white with long black hair, she hands her hands folded together properly, and the video must've glitched, because they came in halfway through her presentation. Cade came up beside Mira, and they listened.

"...introducing, Stinger..." her voice cut out again, and they both gave each other a look before turning around. Mira marched over to the other robot, slapped Bumblebee playfully on the fender, and then put her hands on her hips. Frowning, she shook her head absentmindedly.

"It looks like you, Bumblebee," Cade interjected. Bumblebee revved the engine as if in response and Mira tapped the earpiece.

"You get the transmission?" she asked into the comm, "Let's not use names here."

The transmission pinged in reply, _"Yes, we did." _That was Optimus, _"What is your assumption?"_

"I think they're duplicating," Mira replied quietly, scanning around for any signs of shadows, "I don't know why. Or how."

_"That would be our first investigation to undertake. Proceed with caution, Mira. We don't know what the odds are and how high they are stacked against us." _

Mira nodded, as if Optimus could see her, "Affirmative on that. I'll let you know."

The feed cut out, and she looked to Cade, "It does look like a futuristic Bumblebee," she looked back to the Camaro, "if Bumblebee had a better form."The engine revved hard again, and then the radio squealed. She put up her hands as if to settle the car down, "Sorry," she said apologetically. He quieted, and then all the screens around them lighted.

Suddenly, the room was amiss with sound and light, the woman appearing on every screen. All of them watched a separate one, as if flanked by the Asian woman and her program. Mira looked up to the robot again, and watched the presentation as the sound increased and the woman began to speak. "Inspired by Bumblebee, but better in everyway..."

_"What!? Blerg..." _the frequency switched quickly, "_..sonnuva..." _Instantly, the Camaro downshifted, brake still applied, and the tires began to squeal in protest. Mira and Cade both whipped around, charging towards the Camaro, which was already kicking up a cloud of smoke and leaving track marks on the floor.

"Bumblebee!" Mira screamed at him, "Stop! STOP! 'BEE!" The Camaro did not heed her warning, and soon whipped around and froze quickly before he could collide with her body. Cade practically whipped himself onto the hood of the Camaro, arms outstretched to hold onto either side. Panting heavily, he shot her a look of panic.

"Bumblebee," she growled at him. Then there was the sound of heavy doors closing behind them, followed by whispered sentences in Chinese and a man's voice trying to calm those whispers. Cade instantly scrambled off the car and hurried towards her, and Bumblebee popped the hood of the car to make it appear like they were fixing it.

There was a sound of heels on the granite floor, and Mira looked up to see a group of people, seemingly taking a tour. They were led by a man in a navy blue Armani suit, bald, with dark, drastic looking glasses on his face. She instantly recognized him from her internet search as Joshua Joyce, the company's owner. Mira's heart began to pick up and heat ran throughout her body, her trying desperately to calm herself. The smoke was settling and Joshua looked as if he would have a coronary heart attack of pure rage.

They continued to converse, Cade plunging his hands into the engine. He shot her a look of terror, his face pale and his eyes as wide as enlarged marbles. Then suddenly, the Camaro revved a little as if to get her attention, and she realized there was footfalls echoing off the walls. The bald man was approaching them, and spoke first.

"Hey, you," he pointed at her, "grease monkey. What in God's name is going on here?" He had a look of pure rage, confusion, and oddly collectiveness on his face. Mira straightened and came out from behind the hood, to meet him. She put a small smile on her face like most employees do to their managers and waited for him to stop. He did so, right in her face, and then looked at the Camaro with a frown. "What is this? We're not scanning vintage cars. What's this collective crap doing in my showroom?"

Mir was about to speak, "Sir, I-"

He then looked to the guests, a strikingly beautiful Asian woman with a black dress and tall heels leading the group of suited men, "Ah, ah, ah," he waved a finger in her face, inhaled a deep breath, and sighed, "Don't speak. Do you know what we make here?"

She shook her head, no.

"We make poetry. _Poetry _I tell you. Poetry to change the world, the nation. This," he pointed to the car, "this isn't poetry. This is pathetic." She nodded furiously as Cade came out beside her, hands in his pockets and head down. Joshua looked between the both of them and sighed, "You both work for me? Hm? Well, you get one mistake, one."

"It won't happen again, Mr. Joyce," Mira interjected properly. She shot a look to Cade who nodded in pretense. Joshua looked between them again, nodding slowly as if they were morons and he was trying to get across a message. Mira's stomach began to boil with impatient rage-she already did not like this man, and with-held the impulsive urge she had to punch him in his overly large nose.

"It certainly won't, I assure you. Now, get this pathetic thing off my showroom floor," he narrowed his eyes to her, "and yourselves. Now." Mira and Cade both nodded as if they were children being corrected by their father, and he turned on his heel and stalked off, mumbling under his breath. Finally, he reconnected with the Asian party and escorted them back the way they'd come.

Once they'd gone, Bumblebee transformed. This startled Mira, and he brought himself around in a slick turn, facing the robot-"Stinger". He flickered his optics in an enraged look, and Mira looked up at him and then to Cade, sighing. Touching the bridge of her nose, the cool metal of her glasses resting there, she sighed. "Watch him. Bumblebee," he shifted to look down at her impatiently, "behave, please."

He waved her off. "_Yeah, yeah, yeah_." Mira jogged towards one of the speck boards and began inspecting it. She kept a keen ear open, listening as Cade argued with the robot and Bumblebee replied with clips from the internet. The entire conversation was humorous, but extremely irrelevant and annoying.

"Bumblebee! Chillax!" Cade challenged him, most obviously coming undone.

Bumblebee rebutted, "_I'm perfectly calm dude, perfectly calm." _He stepped forward a few steps, and then Mira heard metal on metal and the stiff shifting of unmovable parts. She checked over her shoulder, realizing Bumblebee had reached out-reached out!-and touched the Stinger robot, examining it furiously with interest.

"No, no, Bumblebee!" Mira watched as Cade ran for Bumblebee, grabbing at his hair as if he were having a mental breakdown. His face was read and he was jumping around like a bug, head craned back to watch the giant yellow and black robot with mad interest and concern, "'Bee ya gotta stop this, man! You'll, you'll BREAK IT! Get back into a car, right now! Bumblebee!"

_"I'm not touching it, I'm not touching it!" _The mech replied, waving Cade off. He took a step forward, plunging his huge hands around the robot's face and pulled it forward towards him, Bumblebee looking over the robot's shoulders and down its back with mad ferocity. Cade was continually going mad, and Mira started to chuckle, trying to suppress laughter. "_I'm barely touching it, barely!"_

"BUMBLE-BEE!" Cade drew out the word into two syllables. The madness of his tone was raising her concern, and Mira turned away from the sketchboard, where Bumblebee was waving Cade off as if he were nothing.

_"Get outta my face, okay? Then I won't pulverize you," _Mira's brows rose as Bumblebee made his way across the floor, Cade turning to her and flapping his hands dramatically off his thighs, exasperated. She jogged over to him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him towards Bumblebee as the clips on the screen resumed.

"'Bee," she asked kindly up to him, where he was watching the screen intently. The clips played and drew her attention, and the three of them watched carefully and listened. Her brows rose at some of the comments, and then a picture of Bumblebee appeared and evolved into Stinger, surprisingly.

"...The 'Bumble-beee...'" The man on the clip said, his voice dripping with disgust. He was older, with greying hair, until the clip switched and another man, a lead designer, took over the interview. He continued the man's previous dialogue,

"But really, this alien's design was intrepid," he wrinkled his nose, "...and antique." Mira's heart broke for poor Bumblebee, and she looked up to him, where he whizzed and whirred and looked down at her, a look of hurt on his face. She smiled weakly at him and then turned back to the clip, then jumped when she heard Bumblebee's reply.

"_BLERP!" _

Her brow's rose, "Bumblebee, I've never heard such language from you!" She whispered harshly. He glared at her and took a step closer to the screen, where the same man was laughing and shaking his head, waving the interviewer off and he stared straight at Bumblebee now, almost as if he was mocking him in real life.

"...you mean _ugly."_

This enraged Bumblebee, who reeled back as if he was going to hit the screen. Mira stepped between the screen and him, hands extended towards the sky.

"No! Bumblebee, no!" He then turned from her, engraged, letting out a pop of air from his system and stalking towards the suspended Stinger robot. Then, he scanned the radio for clips.

"_Oh HECK no!" _He said strongly. Then, he manuevered and round-housed the Stinger robot, cutting the cable's loose and sending the robot flying forward towards the ground. Cade dashed out of the way. "_Bettah than me?" _A British clip, then "WOOOOOAH!" A rodeo cheer as the robot clanged to the ground, lifeless and limp. A squeal erupted from Mira, who clapped her hands over her mouth as the room went quiet for a brief moment. Cade shot Mira a look, and both of them glared up at Bumblebee, who shrugged his shoulders.

Then, there was the sound of the door closing. Bumblebee dropped into his alternation mode, Mira and Cade swallowing thickly. Another tourist group moved, while a massive man in a business suit approach them, furious. He extended his arms out and stomped up to them, "What happened? What did you two do?"

Mira looked to the Camaro beside her and glared, "Sir, we uh-"

The radio crackled to life, "_I told ya homeboy, can't touch dis..." _Mira glowered at the car, showed her badge, to the man, and interjected.

"Sir, there was s faulty cable," she explained, "I have the situation contained." Cade showed his badge and the man scowled at them both. Shaking his head, he pointed in the direction of the first hangar door, and sighed.

"In my office. Fifteen minutes."


	29. Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**...**

"Fifteen. Minutes." The man had iterated before taking his group out of the showroom, giving Mira, Cade, and the vintage Camaro a hard glare as he did so. Once the heavy doors had closed behind him, signaling his leave, Mira turned towards Cade and Bumblebee, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Straightening her jacket, she puffed out a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Bumblebee, you get back to the others," she said, relief flooding her voice. "Cade and I will split off here," he nodded to the inventor, who had turned his ballcap backwards, "Set your watch for ten minutes and then we do a check in." Cade did so, and Bumblebee revved the engine. Mira got a comm transmission from him, privately she assumed, when Cade didn't respond.

_"You gunna be okay out there, General?" _A searing heat ripped through her body as he used her rank. She nodded and touched the earpiece and whispered back to him as Cade walked around the now fallen Stinger robot, shaking his head and looking genuinely amazed.

"I'll be fine, 'Bee," she smiled at the Camaro, "Get back to the others and let them know we're a-okay in here, got it?" The engine revved, and hit reverse, then gently crawled out of the garage and onto the lift. Mira smiled at him and pressed the basement floor, and the machine kicked to life and lowered the car. Bumblebee was gone within a matter of moments.

"Let's do this," she met up with Cade in the middle of the floor, "I'll see what I can check into for weapons tech, if it isn't sealed off."

Mira nodded, "Sure. Ten minutes." She set her watch to correspond with him, and they broke off. Cade went through the door the second man had come in through, and Mira took the other Joyce had left through. With a curt nod she slipped out the door and checked the hallway.

**…**

"Mr. Joyce," the red-headed secretary peeked her head through the oversized, futuristic doors of Joshua's office. He was going through specks, changing dimensions on the last of the Pagani, before he looked up at her with a blank, focused expression. She smiled sheepishly at him. "Someone to see you."

"I'm busy," he said, as if implying her to lie and tell the waiting someone, "Very busy."

She gave him a look, "A very…_important _someone—"

"Cut this crap," the man mumbled, shouldering past the secretary. She squealed, stumbled through the doorway as it was swallowed up with the entirely too large ego of Harold Attinger. Joshua sprang to his feet, tossing the specks away and pushed his chair behind him, straightening his suit coat in the front. Attinger stalked for him, with that strangely bit of a gimp, and stopped before his desk.

"We need to talk?" Joshua assumed.

Attinger narrowed his eyes. "That's an understatement."

Joshua peered behind the form of Attinger to smile at his secretary, "That's all, Charlie. Thank you." She shakily closed the door, and he frowned at Attinger. "Alright then, talk is what you want to do? Then talk away. I have a showing in the lab in…" he checked the Rolex on his arm, "five minutes."

Attinger rolled his eyes, "We have a problem."

"Do you have the Seed?" Joshua asked, rounding his desk, hands behind his back. He then reached to gently and sleekly push up his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He looked around the office made of windows and chuckled.

"We don't get the Seed until he has Prime," Attinger growled, "and now he wants the girl."

Joshua shot him a look. "Girl? What girl?"

"She's an Autobot sympathizer. A General, Prime's right hand." He messaged the bridge of his nose, tossing his glasses onto the desktop with a clack, "She's a complication—he wants her and Prime now, as well as human accomodations for his ship."

Joshua's brows rose. "Why?"

"Don't ask me," Attinger said with a snap, "I have no flipping idea, and I frankly don't care." He then replaced his glasses on his face, "Lockdown is expecting the accomdations by today. I've already arranged a team to outfit his shuttle-type whatever deal it is with the necessary means to keep a human aboard."

His mouth dropped open, "You mean…he's _taking _her?"

"Is there some type of problem?"

Joshua, stunned, stopped behind his desk and shot Attinger a cold look. An inventor himself, he was accustomed to strange ideas formulated out of dire circumstances. He had sacrificed many an item, dream, friendship for such endeavors—all to get him where he was now, at the top of the world's net-worth list. He was rich, handsome, and had the world knocking at his front door. On the very verge of technological breakthrough, he was making deals with aliens and creating the world's first transformable matter—Transformium. It was trademarked.

He was in need of more of the the Transformer metal—the very lifeblood of his work, and he needed it now. Which is where the alien came into play, providing them that very Seed which would see to his supply needs for 200 years. It was a flawless plan, all it had been was handing over the Autobot leader, and then they'd have their golden goose, for lack of a better term. But now…

But now this entire idea of selling off a human woman to the alien was not at all something that would play over well with his conscience, or his mind. He knew people died doing this kind of stuff, in the crossfire, but he never imagined that we—human beings—would betray our own kind and just fork them over to some weird alien bounty-hunter. What would an alien want anyway with a human woman? He shuddered as the movies of his childhood came into play.

Attinger abruptly changed the subject, "She's got her hands into a few other bystanders," he growled, "namely a Texan inventor and his daughter, as well as her brother and son. She's corrupted them, and she can't be allowed to corrupt anyone else." He sighed as he closed his eyes, "it's already going to cost half a million just to get them all refocused—or dead, either way."

Joshua's eyes widened at this, "So fine. Refocus them. But selling a human? Are we really that desperate?"

"You want your Seed, don't you?"

He waved it off, "Yes, yes, I suppose. It just seems weird." He pressed a button on his computer and locked the screen, as well as the tower. "Is that all? You wanted to come and downcast my day and that's it, or what?"

"There's one other thing," he said deeply, eyes deepening with darkness. This caught Joyce off guard, and he gathered up a folder and tucked it under his arm, the two of them walking across the office towards the door. Putting a hand through the handle, Attinger slammed his palm against the door and sank it back into place slowly, an action which made him jump.

"Jeez, easy on the—" Then, suddenly Attinger's face was inches from his own, making Joshua slink back a few inches himself. The man narrowed his eyes and growled at him now.

"She got on of your guns, plucked it off a soldier. Her boyfriend inventor may have taken it apart, meaning they may know of your involvement." Joshua almost dropped the file, but instead his stomach dropped into his shoes, "If you find her, you are to bring her immediately to me, understand? Prime won't let his girl go off without him being too far behind. You get her, you get him—and we get out Seed, as well as our money."

Joshua didn't like this man's tone at all—it was wickedly joyful, as well as dangerous, "Fine. I'll have my team keep an eye out for her then."

Attinger nodded, as if in approval, and let his hand down. He stepped back half a step, allowing Joshua to open the door. He went right, and Joshua headed left, loosening his tie and hoping to God that his six thousand dollar suit did not have any sweat stains anywhere.

**…**

Ten minutes had gotten Mira to the stairwell, and she was going up them, following the signs until she came to the door marked LAB-01: PERSONNEL ONLY. Beside it was a scanner, as well as a coat-rack with unused lab coats sitting dormant. Plucking one, she quickly shirked it on, and then scanned her card. The door beeped her in, and she gently pushed it open.

Once inside, she looked around. The lab was huge—big enough to house Optimus at full height with no difficulties. It was a sterile white color, with futuristic SMART boards placed everywhere with mechanical engineers and mathematicians scribbling away. Laborers were welding together metal, as well as examining the very object Mira had her eyes glued to.

Upon the stainless steel table sat Ratchet—not the entirety of his body, just his head. His optics had long since darkened, lifeless and empty, as a crew of four men and women rapidly began pulling parts off of him, tossing them aside or handing them to other technicians. Finally, one man ignited a blow torch and put I to Ratchet's optic, where it sparked with fire before it began to melt away.

Her stomach lurched, and Mira felt as if she would be sick. Her hands began to tremble as she reached up for the Shield, and realizing she was alone in the observation booth, asked it to make a video recording. It obeyed, and she lifted it out from behind the collar of her jacket, standing motionless as she watched them take apart her friend.

Then, she willed herself to look around. Stepping out of the observation booth, she plucked a clipboard with paperwork from a nearby table, as well, as a pen, and made herself look busy. Flipping the pen over, she positioned the Shield to stare directly at the paper as she began writing notes: _Found the Autobot remains…melting them down. Algorithms and specks everywhere—using the parts for something. _

Hopefully the Autobots outside KSI would get that message and be able to follow along without her talking. She checked her watch, seeing another ten minutes was almost up before she would have to check in with Cade. She weaved in and out of the tables, watching technicians and scientists pluck away at their work. There were sketches and blueprints everywhere—all of prototype robots like Stinger, but of different statutes and design. She refrained from wrinkling her brow, until she stopped before a large, cylindrical tube holding a blue blob that her peripheral vision could not determine.

Mira gasped. It was a housing chamber—like a prison, and inside was the familiar little bot she had long thought was dead. Brains, one of the surviving bots from Chicago, was limping around on one leg and a cane-type piece of metal, pressing away at a Galaxy tablet installed into the left side of the tube. The right side had another, and she looked to the tubes beside Brains' prison—again, another gasp erupted from her, and she clenched her hands around they clipboard to keep it from dropping out of her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few men in finely pressed suits looking at her, and she hurried away from Brains' enclosure.

Anger, rage, fear, and confusion littered her emotions and tossed them into a huge pile that could only cause her to walk forward towards them. The left side held the head of a long-since dead Megatron, the other what was left of Sentinel Prime, the betrayer of the Autobots—and Optimus' mentor. There was an electricity line running to a cap-type looking device plugged into Brains' helm, and he was rapidly moving between both the tablets, punching away and muttering. Mira then scribbled on the paper faster, making a note of what she saw: _Megatron is here. _

She stuck the pen behind her ear, and continued to look around. She found another chamber, and she headed to it, slipping inside the door as another man exited, and nodded to her in acknowledgment. She smiled grimly at him and approached the end of the chamber, where a woman in a white outfit was watching with arms crossed over her chest. She was slowly shaking her head, watching as the crew continued to disassemble Ratchet's head.

In the corner beside the woman was a large case, clear—with a lid. Inside was a gunpowder type of substance, finely grained and looking much like black sand. It had a slight sparkle to it, as if it were colored to look like black fairy dust. Mira stared at it hard before the woman noticed her and spoke.

"Amazing, isn't it?" She asked, a slightly British accent evident in her voice, "I had always thought they were made out of metal. Nothing more."

Mira shook her head, "No," she sighed, wondering if she should really be talking to an insider, "they're much more than that, I assure you. They are complex, living things—like us."

She furrowed her brow, "You know this?"

"I—I had the privilege of talking to one," the she pointed towards Brains, "And then that little guy out there is a good example. They aren't like us, but at the same time they are."

"They menacing, frightening things," the woman said quietly, looking away, "especially those nasty Decepticons," she nodded to Ratchet, "good riddance."

"That wasn't a Decepticon," she interjected rather quickly, the woman giving her a confused look, "it was an Autobot. And the only reason they're frightening is because they are different than we are—we're always afraid of things we don't understand." She crossed her arms over the clipboard and pulled it towards her chest. The Shield was growing warmer, and she closed her eyes, sighing.

"You think so highly of them and you work with Transformium?" The woman asked, surprised.

Mira's eyes popped open and she turned to face the woman, "Y-yes." The woman nodded and opened the case beside her, reaching her hand inside to pick up a handful of the black dust. Mira watched her, observing contentedly, as the woman spoke her next sentence.

"Well, when you guys are melting down those Autobots or whoever they are for your experiments, I'm out there looking for more. It's just there isn't any more to be hand, I'm afraid."

Mira wrinkled her brow. "Oh?"

She nodded, "Yes. It's almost entirely gone now, there wasn't much. Just enough for these prototypes, hence the reason you've resulted to melting them down," she nodded towards Ratchet, "it's remarkable."

Mira smiled awkwardly as the woman did, and then slowly began to back out the chamber, "If you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to work. Time is money." Then, shouldering open the door, she cast another look to Brains, who didn't seem to recognize her. She made her way towards the exit, passing by a huge mirror, and she froze.

The men in suits had stopped the production, and were scanning ID badges. Panic shot itself through her like a bullet to the heart, and her stomach flopped like a frantic fish out of water. Looking for the nearest exit, she shot a look to the mirror, and realized it was a two-way.

A man touched her shoulder gently, a nice looking younger guard with a side-arm and red hair. He smiled at her approachably and asked her, "Ma'am, could you step aside with me for a moment?"

Fear gripped her. Looking to the mirror again, she then looked for the exit. The man reached to grab her elbow, now wanting to escort her rather than have her comply. Then, gulping hard, she ripped the paper from the clipboard, and spun on her heel to bolt towards the exit. Instantly the room came to life around her, the guards screaming as she hurried towards her, pushing aside the crew.

Adrenaline pushed her through the lab, and she bolted passed Brains, who stopped to stare at her. She heard him pounding on the glass, shouting her name in victory, shouting for his glorious day of redemption. Sliding to a stop as the guards blocked her on every direction, Mira looked up to find a surgical light installed over a table. The men encircled her now, and she looked ahead. Straight shot to the door, once she cleared the guards…

"YOU!" A man burst into the circle, and Mira pivoted to see it was Joshua Joyce. Panic found her, as he; now enraged and red-faced, stomped towards her. "Why are there loose fugitives running around my company!?" He hollered to the guards around him, "That's two within ten minutes of each other!"

As if on cue, the doors ahead of them burst open, Cade and two guards struggling their way into the circle. Cade was thrashing madly, a man in a pressed suit with white hair and a slight limp following in behind. Mira's warning bells went off; this man carried a bad presence about him, one that she did not at all like. He had steely eyes, and a huge scowl on his face. The guards thrust Cade into the group, another shoving him roughly forward, where he crashed into her, then hit the ground. Mira bent to help him up.

"What happened?" she asked quickly, helping his stand. He straightened his coat, and turned his cap around straight again, and then looked at her after he finished his glaring war with the gimping man. He then nodded and panted.

"They got me, said I scanned at two different entrances. They stopped me at the door." He reached up to tuck one of her stray curls away from her eyes. "…you're okay, right?"

Mira nodded, suddenly confused at his gesture, and turned to the two men. They were talking and gesturing wildly, and Mira felt the purse at her side, the Baretta tucked secretly away. Panic hit her soul as the man with a gimp gestures for two guards to seize her, another two grabbing Cade. She rushed them, but one behind her grabbed hold of her wrist and jerked her to a stop. She collided with a thick body, was roughly pushed to the ground on her knees, and her hands were cuffed behind her back. Cade was standing, hands cuffed as well.

"Take them upstairs to the conference room," Joyce huffed. He waved the guards away, "Mr. Attinger's team will deal with this, thank you. Go!" The fray scurried away, back to work, as the doors opened yet again and two men walked through. The one was James Savory, from Cemetery Wind, the other she recognized as one of the agents he worked closely between. He grinned wickedly at her and grabbed her arm roughly, standing her beside him and yanking her forward to the man known as Mr. Attinger.

"Good to see you again, babe. I missed you." He said sarcastically. She growled at him and jerked her arm out of his hand, Cade behind her until they stopped outside the big doors. The man with the limp shoved past them and began walking, waving them forward, until they took the elevator to the sixth floor, and exited. Taking a sharp right, they stopped at a room, constructed of glass all around, where James shoved them inside after Attinger. "I'll be waiting," was all he said, and turned his back on them/

Attinger was a man with a burden, Mira noted. He was roughly six feet tall, broad shouldered, and bald headed with intensely greying hair and wrinkles around his eyes. He had a depressing aura around him—one of power, tyranny, and control. His glare was deep, soul-freezing almost, and when he sat down, his actions resembled that of a snake about to strike. She hated his mysterious danger, and seated herself across from him, Cade beside her, when he gestured and spoke. "Sit. Now."

"I want a lawyer," Cade interjected quickly, "Not from here. From the government. Someone I can trust." Mira shot him a look as if he were insane.

"We trust no one without an Autobot insignia," she directed the statement at Attinger, "Especially if they're from the government. You have nothing on us." She crossed one leg over the other, and glared hard at him behind her glasses. He chuckled and folded his hand together on top of the table. "You're CIA."

He chortled, "How'd you guess?"

"You carry your gun on the left side, slightly higher than the FBI. You learn things in NEST, quick little ID tidbits." She shrugged a shoulder, her voice sarcastic, "What do you want?"

"All I want to know is where Optimus Prime is."

She raised her brow. "That's it? No flashy speech?"

"Would you prefer one?" He narrowed his eyes at her, "The fact of the matter is, Ms. Lennox, is that I don't have time to play your little heroine game. I'm trying to defend the nation, and take back what the enemy Transformers have stolen from us. Your efforts are admirable, but irrelevant."

She rolled her eyes, "And there's the speech."

"You have two options: Tell me what I want to know, and go back to your farm in Texas with your boy," he chuckled at her expression, which was one of fear, "and yes, we know about your son, little Merrick? You go back, and life continues."

Cade snorted, "Yeah? That seems unlikely."

He looked to Cade, "And you will return as well. Your daughter will graduate and you'll go back to your barn, and life will go on as you know it. Your compliance insures your future."

Mira sneered at him, "Autobots never betray their cause," she raised her chin, "usually the cause betrays them first. You'll never get what you want, at least not from me. It's the Autobot way."

He messages his temples, frustration evident in the snarl of his voice. He shot a cool stare at her, one that was freezing with hatred and anger, "You, Miss, are not an Autobot. You are a human first, one of us. You have no right to join them without first having been—"

"—do not tell me what I am!" She screamed at him, "I am an Autobot, keeper of the Shield of the Matrix of Leadership, under Optimus Prime. And I'll fight to keep the Autobot name alive, God so help me. Now, what's the other version of this conversation?" Cade stared at her with wide eyes of amazement, and Attinger did not look impressed.

"Let me get to that."

**…**

_"….and I'll fight to keep the Autobot name alive…" _

Optimus silenced the radio, quietness filling the cab. Bryce, Tessa, and Merrick said nothing, only stared at one another for a long moment before directing their attention to the driver's seat—no empty with Mira's absence. So empty it did feel; Optimus had grown reaccustomed to her presence within him, beside him.

"What now?" Tessa asked, quietly, "if they're captured—"

Bryce slammed his fist on the dash, "We go get them, that's what!" He hollered, "that can't take my sister like this, no way!"

Optimus heard Bumblebee second the idea, by the revving of his engine. Drift and Crosshairs sat beside him, silent, awaiting orders. Hound was behind, watching their flanks, as Optimus debated.

It would be hard, and a battle, getting into KSI without bloodshed. Many would be injured, if not hurt, but this is not what troubled him—the humans deserved what they would get, that much was for certain. What bothered him the most was seeing what he find inside that death camp—the remains of his soldiers, his friends. Optimus could hardly bare the pressure in his spark, he thought it would explode.

Mira needed him. She had not betrayed the cause—twice now, she'd defended him and his people. She was good, strong—beautiful, still, even in the face of destruction and compromise. His spark soared with pride in his decisions to give her the Shield—she was indeed worthy of the title of the Keeper. He had not failed in making her a General, and he had not failed by merging his spark with her blood…they were a match, through and through, guardian and charge for now and into eternity. Optimus Prime could think of no one better candidate to guard than her, he could never take as much pride in another as he did in Mira at this very moment.

"Out," he popped open the door. The human scrambled out of him, and he launched his transformation cogs. On a knee, he slammed his fist into the earth and roughly pulled it out again, casting chunks of cement to the side as he did so. Rage burned a course within his Energon, and intense revenge all but seized his circuitry. These humans had betrayed their own kind and would kill them over him, and his men—they would kill Mira, and Cade if they got the chance. Optimus would not allow that chance, and he looked to Bryce and Tessa. "We storm KSI and get Mira and Cade out. That is the plan—that and that _alone." _He narrowed his optics.

Bryce whipped out his gun and cocked it back, "Sounds good to me."

Tessa looked to Optimus and ran forward, placing a hand on his own, which had returned to the cement gently this time, "You're not going to hurt anyone, right?" Her eyes were compassionate; soft and tender, so full of youthful innocence and purity. Optimus flickered his optics and looked away from her, rising, as the other Autobots transformed, Bumblebee roaring away madly with Bryce now in his care.

"That, young one," he looked to her and began walking, "is something I cannot promise."

Because in all willingness, Optimus Prime would not.


	30. Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**...**

The man known as Harold Attinger watched her with cold eyes, as he perhaps pondered his next statement as if it was going to change the world. Mira wondered if God had taken this much time in creating the universe, and had such an expression on his face when He looked on the cruel humanity of the world before wiping it clear with the flood, erasing all the evil.

Then again, it made sense, this man's hostility towards her. He hated her because of her love for the Autobots—the "aliens" he so called them. She could understand how the war which was ravaging their planet would make him mad; it infuriated her as well. But, what she couldn't understand, was his complete ignorance to the fact that so far people had not been successful in outlawing the Autobots during their stay on Earth—what made him think we'd be successful now?

His statement—finally—broke her thoughts, "The other version of this conversation is you do time for treason, and your boy grows up in foster care," he shot a look to Cade, "and your daughter goes through the necessary refocus groups set up across the world to rid her mind of the brainwashing that the Autobots are ever so good at conducting."

"It's not brainwashing. Every decisionswe make is based purely on our hearts—they leave it to us." Mira interjected bitterly, "they force us into nothing."

"—except their war," Attinger graveled at her, "You forget that they drug us into this war when they arrived here. We were fine until the alien Autobots came—the Decepticons weren't harming us, they were leaving us _alone. _And then your buddy stepped in and then everything went to hell."

She furrowed her brow, utterly confused at him, "It was a matter of time," she shook her head, "the Autobots came because the Decepticons were this close to finding the Allspark," she pinched together her fingers for emphasis, then set the cuffs back on her lap, "if they wouldn't of come when they did, then we'd all be either dead or enslaved."

Attinger scowled at her and Cade continued her thought, "They saved us—we couldn't bring down their kind, the Cybertronians, even if we tried—we still aren't that successful. Seems to me you needed the proper tech, which you've stolen from them."

"Something _else _for them to hold against us," Mira sneered at him, "Let me ask you something, Mr. Attinger," she leaned forward, her fingertips on the edge of the table as the cuffs pulled at her skin for release, "….what if the Autobots never _came…._and you were wrong?"

The question slapped the air like a whip cracking on skin. It was evident because Attinger straightened in his seat and his face contorted in a look of pure, demonic hatred towards her. It reddened also, and he pushed his chair back as he rapidly stood to his feet. Thrusting a finger across the table to point threateningly at her, he screamed like a demonically plagued man, spittle flying from his mouth and into his beard.

"_They are killing us!" _He screamed, "They are all MURDERERS! I have lost everything because of them! You are a blind fool to think they are here to help us! They'll kill you, like they've killed EVERYONE ELSE!" Mira rolled back in her chair as he practically leaned across the table, Cade doing the same, eyes wide at the man with rage in his voice. Finally, he straightened his coat, and smoothed down his tie.

"You're wrong." Mira stated simply.

Attinger's mouth fell open.

She was about to continue, when the floor quaked beneath her. Actually, the entire building shook for a moment, the rumbling beneath their feet settling now. There remained a pounding vibration, like that of footfalls, ringing through the floor's energy. This excited Mira as she looked up to Attinger, who touched the earpiece in his ear and swore. "It looks like like my murderers have come for me."

"Shut your mouth," Attinger hissed at her.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Just pointing out the obvious, chief." She smiled at Cade and then reached up for the Shield around her neck, touching the end with the tip of her thumb. Instantly it scanned the cuffs, inserted a probe, and released them. Attinger came at her across the table, but she whipped open the purse and flipped the Baretta out in her hand, leveling it at the man, now standing before her. He backed up, put his hands up, as Savoy and the other man sprang into the room, the door closing behind them. "Move, and I'll blow him to the heavens." She said plainly. Removing the Shield, she tossed it to Cade and he freed himself. "Seems like you have this all under control, Mr. Attinger. We can obviously see who's in charge here," she pointed with her free hand to Savoy and the guard, Cade handing back the Shield. "Relieve them of their weapons, Cade, and call Optimus."

"I'm going to kill you," Attinger growled, "You don't deserve to live. You're a disgrace to this country, this planet—this _world._" He looked at her with raveningly devouring eyes, like he was an animal upon its prey.

She tipped her head to the side and smiled sarcastically, "Not if I kill you first, you fragger." Stepping back, she touched her ear, where the comm was ringing to life with messages. Cade was talking to Optimus in hushed tones, a gun pointed at Savoy and the guard. Mira backed up, to position her back towards the door, and gestured to the chair. "Sit down, Attigner. Put your feet up, I insist."

He sat.

"I wasn't joking," she glanced over her shoulder, "you too, boys."

The three of them sat, and Mira took the cuffs. Removing another set of Savoy's' cuffs, Mira pushed their chairs together, and then each gave them another chair to put their feet on. Cade kept the two guns pointed at the three of them, and Mira set to work cuffing their hands to the chairs in front of them. She cuffed them around the back of the chair's back-support, so they would not be able to sit back, their legs up on the chairs still in a most awkward position.

"They aren't going anywhere," she chuckled.

"I swear to God I'm going to kill you," Attinger mumbled to her.

She winked at him, "Looks like you're a little bit tied up at the moment for that."

**…**

After having scanned the new 2015 Camaro concept, Bumblebee wasn't too enthused at the idea of shattering the glass in the front of the KSI lobby. But, glass shattered anyway, as Bumblebee crashed through the front window nonetheless. It rained down around him and the other bystanders, sending the building into a frenzy of chaos and panic. They scattered everywhere as Bryce roughed is way through the front door, gun at hand, shouting orders. He hurried up the escalator, Bumblebee following him in his bi-pedal.

The others wasted no time as well. Crosshairs and Drift crashed into the window to Bumblebee's left, Crosshairs swinging around and skidding into a stop, crashing into a pillar. Debris danced around him, the humans screaming, as well, Drift powering into his helicopter mode, hovering above them high into the cathedral ceilings. He was going up, scanning floors for Mira and Cade, detained somewhere within the buildings.

Suddenly Optimus erupted into the front of the building, through Bumblebee's opening, shattering more glass and debris. He roared like a demon, rage overcoming him in a passionate fury. Bumblebee had noted the lust in Optimus' eyes—lust for revenge, for war. He had waged war on the humans without verbally saying so, but Bumblebee had been with his mentor long enough to know when Optimus considered a battle personal rather than necessary. This was one of those times.

And it was personal—Mira was a part of them. She was them, as far as he was concerned: Mira was the epitome of Cybertronian grace and strength—she did not take no for answer, even when it was an order, and stood for peace. She wanted nothing but revival in her home-planet, a revival of innocence and purity. Mira was good at listening, as well as talking and asking questions—she was especially good at teaching and explanations. Bumblebee enjoyed her willingness to be wrong, but her ferocity not to be wrong for long.

She was as much like Optimus as a femme could be—honest, strong, honorable, and just. He liked her immensely, always had. She didn't shirk anything, despite the massive size difference between their races, and worked just as hard as any soldiers he'd ever met, even in her position of rank. He found her playful banter enlightening and funny, and he loved her sense of humor.

So, logically, the only he could see doing was to get her out and safe, something he knew Optimus was very passionate about. They all had decided, without Optimus' approval, that they were a perfect match, and that Optimus loved Mira the way he loved Cybertron—if not a bit romantically, though Bumblebee had decided that wasn't true. There would be nothing that could wedge them apart, even their arguments, they all knew that.

"Autobots, move forward!" Optimus fired a few rounds into the air to scare off the humans, shouting orders as he, Crosshairs, Bumblebee, and now Hound cleared the escalator and headed down the massive hallway towards where they'd found the labs. He glanced over his shoulder at Bumblebee, but didn't slow, and nodded towards Drift, "Bumblebee, find Miriam and Cade, and bring them _back_!" The words were so loud and vicious off his glossa that Bumblebee wondered briefly if he'd been possessed. "_Go!" _He barked.

Bumblebee turned off, down the hallway to the right where Drift was hovering just high enough. Dodging humans and unwilling to squish any of them, he threw his body into the air and latched onto Drift's landing gear, and he began to go up. "They are on the sixth floor," Drift said through his radio communication systems, "We will find them there, and rescue them."

_"Allllriiighty, then!" _He found a clip from the internet, "_let's get the girl and go home!" _

**…**

The air suddenly came alive with thrumming, and Mira hurried towards the window, stumbling over a chair. Keeping a gun leveled at the gentlemen strapped to their chairs, she stepped back in surprise as Drift's helicopter form quickly dominated the room outside their conference chamber. His blades barely cleared the walls by an inch, but they cleared nonetheless, and he disappeared above them. Mira pounded on the glass, along with Cade, "DRIFT!"

Then, Bumblebee appeared, hanging by an arm and waving at them with a cheeky smile. Mira smiled at him, and he fisted his hand, punching out the glass beside them, and sending a part of the infrastructure hurling across the room, taking tables and chairs with it. Mira stepped over the debris, pushed aside the guard in his chair, and stood at the opening. Bumblebee had a hand extended to her and his optics were bright, as if saying hello. Wiggling his fingers, Drift spoke.

"Make haste," he said hurriedly, "Optimus is in the labs, and he requires our presence immediately!" Mira, not having to be asked twice, jumped aboard Bumblebee's hand, extending hers to Cade to bridge the gap. Cade looked slightly dumbfounded.

"Let's go!" She hollered above the intense noise of Drift's blades humming loudly, whipping hair in all directions. Cade nodded, jumped the gap, and her hand collided with his. Interlacing their fingers, she pulled him towards her and they both sat as Drift lowered back down the way he'd come, until they landed on the floor, safe.

Tessa and Merrick ran into a massive hole in the wall, the backpack over Tessa's shoulders. Instantly she released Merrick's hand to wrap Cade in a hug, her small, thin body trembling in his muscular arms. Mira replaced the Baretta in the belt of her waist and knelt to her knees, throwing her arms around Merrick in a hug. She squeezed his body into her, kissing his cheek repeatedly and smelling his youthful smell.

"_Let's goooooo!" _The radio cheered behind them, as if in victory. Drift and Bumblebee were already halfway down the hall, weapons bore, not waiting for them. Mira nodded, stood, and Cade quickly swooped up Merrick before she could even take his hand, and the four of them hurried up the now stopped escalator, and made their way into the lab.

They found the place a chaotic mess of sparks, gunfire, screaming employees, and debris. The Autobots had wasted no time, and make quick work of destroying the lab and the property. Crosshairs was firing shots into the air, atop a huge shipping crate, laughing manically as if he were psychotic. Hound was kicking away walls and boxes and stands, ripping things from the ceiling and swearing under his breath, while Optimus was firing shots into computer stations and telling the humans to leave in a voice almost as demonic as his actions.

Mira was horrified as the humans ran rampant around them, and shouldered the opposite way they were filtering out of the room. Panic had seized her as the Autobots blazed on in incoherent fury, her wondering if they had finally lost it under all the pressure—and grief of seeing their comrades so evilly treated. Suddenly, the glass enclosure where Brains had been sheltered shattered into a million glass pieces, Brains hopping out and hobbling over to Hound, who lowered a hand for the bot to crawl onto. He lifted him up, set him on his shoulder, and continued in his destructive passion.

There was a voice, erupting from the madness, and Mira spun around to see Joshua Joyce approaching Optimus, finger pointed at him, his face red with rage. Her stomach dropped, and she ran from her place to intercept him, Cade minding the children yet not far behind. She came to a slow as she neared him, now standing between Joyce and Optimus, who was staring hotly at the man. He had seemed to cool, and she locked eyes with his optics, as if to tell him she was unscathed and alive. He seemed to relax and lowered his weapon from the man.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Joshua addressed them in the same manner he had first addressed Mira and Cade, "that's company property!" Mira raised her hands as if to calm him, stepping directly in front of Joyce, as if to stop not only him from advancing, but Optimus as well.

Prime did not move, he only pointed, "They are _not _your _PROPERTY!_" He boomed, voice echoing off the walls as the last of the human chaos began to end. At this the other Autobots ceased their destruction, all approaching behind Optimus with their weapons ready. Mira spun around, eyes widening at Optimus as if she'd never heard him yell before, which she had. He continued his sentiment, now more grieved then enraged, "They were my friends. Allies. Comrades…" he looked away from Joyce, and then to Mira, "…they were my family. You have taken them," he pointed to Mira, "and you have threatened to take her. No more of my family will die at your hands."

Hound stepped up between them, bringing his shot-gun like weapons around, looking dangerously evil. Brains slid down his arm and seated himself on Hound trigger hand, chuckling sarcastically. "Ain't so tough now, wid Hound in yo face! Huh!?"

Mira, panting, looked at Joshua, "Hound, please—" she hurried up to him and touched his hand, "please, don't. Please."

Joshua chortled, "No, no, go ahead," he bowed sarcastically, "show the world your real colors. Show them all what we here already know." She glared at him and stalked up to him, balling her hand into a fist. Instead, she spun her wedding band around, diamond down, and cracked him across his face. He doubled over, hand to his affected palm, and retracted it, to see a small, thin red line of blood trickling from his cheek to the corner of his mouth.

"How dare you," she hissed at him.

"Keeping talking, missy," he pointed a finger at her, "and I'll have you sued for espionage."

"Yeah, because _that's _your biggest problem," Crosshairs snorted from Prime's left, "Just let me shoot him," he looked up at Optimus, "Please let me do it, just please."

Optimus put up a hand, silencing him. "Why don't you tell your blood-thirsty _family members _that this," he gestures wildly with his arms as if he were trying to fly like a grounded chicken, "is all the spoils of war, Optimus. Dead metal, innovation—science. That's what happens here—_science_."

"They are _not _your _science!_" Tessa erupted from where Cade was standing on the sidelines. Cade immediately intercepted her, where she started to cry and tremble, a hand over her mouth. Joyce just look at her with pitiful eyes, and shook his head. Mira smiled at her softly, nodding, and looked back to Joyce.

"Because if we do not do science here, someone else will!" Joyce defended himself and pointed at Mira, "and you and the humans you've deceived will not stand in the way of technology, no matter how hard you try! Technology waits for no ma—"

"We are not your technology!" Optimus boomed again, this time whirling around to round-house a nearby workstation. The glass of the desk shattered, and Mira ducked, Joyce skittering to the ground out of surprise and panic. The glass rained down around her in her hair, and Joyce looked to Optimus who stalked forward, taking a knee and offering his index finger to Mira. She placed her hand against it and stood, brushing off the glass shards, when one stuck her in her finger. She winced, pulled it out, and without realizing it, left a bloody handprint on Optimus' finger. He did not care.

"Let me vaporize his aft," Hound muttered.

Optimus shot a look to Hound and then to Mira, "Are you alright?" He asked her gently. She nodded, smiling at him, and patted his hand gently.

"I'm fine."

He stood again, glowering at the man. Joyce continued his less than sentimental sentiment, with enough sarcasm to kill a horse, "I own you're entire genome, Autobot. I broke you, and now I own you…and I can make you."

"You don't own anything," Mira challenged him, pounding forward, "all you own is a concept. A human form of Cybertronians—you own nothing, because they are living beings which control their own actions, emotions, and thoughts," she looked over her shoulder at them, and then stepped forward, thrusting a finger into Joshua's chest, "you own a lifeless, powerless, _pathetic _machine."

"And they are so different?" he challenged coldly, quietly. Mira rocked back onto the flat of her feet and wrinkled her nose, extending to slap him again when he intercepted and grabbed her arm. He squeezed hard, then sneered at her, and released her roughly, sending her tripping over the debris which Optimus had smashed and into the fallen workstation, where she crumbled to the floor. "Less than impressive show, lady."

This enraged not only Optimus, but the rest of their crew. Cade bolted for her, as did Merrick and Tessa, Bryce finally appearing from halfway across the lab with a computer bag. He saw what was happening, rushed to intercept the conversation, only to come to an abrupt halt when Optimus had handed his gun to Hound, dropped to a knee which shattered the cement below him, and thrusts his fists into the earth, causing more damage. He growled, flickered his optics, and put his face in Joyce's, who backed up half a step after paling a few shades. Mira stood, from the help of Cade, and they brushed the debris off her. Pain shot through her hand, and she realized a larger piece of glass had embedded itself there.

"If you ever lay a hand on her again," Optimus snarled at the man, "….I will kill you."

Joyce said nothing, only paled again.

"The world will know what you do here," Drift interjected, sheathing his sword in the mechanics of his back, and then crossed his arms over his chest to make his point.

"The world isn't going to care," Joyce spit back, as Optimus rose from their stand-off, "they will approve. You don't seem to get it," he sneered over at Mira, "we can make you now. I can make you. We don't need you, anymore. Not now, not ever again."

This sucked the air from the room, as well as Mira's heart. She froze, Cade tearing a piece of lab-coat abandoned from one of the stations in half and began to bandage her arm. Her stomach sank to her feet, and she looked to Optimus, where he had the equal expression etched across his features, and deeply engrained in his eyes. She felt heat overtake her body; rage like a roaring animal on the verge of a mental catastrophe take her body, but she stayed motionless, still. She watched Optimus looked to her and then looked away.

"Autobots," he sneered back at Joyce, his face enraged with hatred, "we're _done." _

He abruptly turned, and left the way they'd come. The others filtered out after him, Bumblebee looking down to Mira and the rest of them, having stopped beside them. He knelt, extended his hands for them to climb on, and once they had, left the room with the humans literally at hand.

"We're done?" Brains asked, disappointment flooding his voice, "You mean, we aren't gunna kick any aft?"

Hound looked to Crosshairs as the two of them exited the lab behind Optimus, who'd already ducked under the opening and was walking down the hall, replacing his gun in his back mechanics as well, where it hung dormant and in waiting, "I've been itchin' to kill somethin' lately."

"That guy was a prime candidate," Crosshairs, unaware of his joke, took a few seconds before chuckling, "…not that that was intended," He glanced over his shoulder at Mira, who looked down at her scarlet stained palm and rubbed the bandage with her other thumb, "You okay back there, sheila? Awful quiet."

She looked up at him and shrugged, then reached for the Shield. Removing it, she rested it on the bandage, the heat hot with seeming rage at the statement from Optimus. If this was supposed to be part of the Matrix, which was no essentially Prime's spark…was it this hot? This enraged? Was she literally holding his heart in her hands? Then, running her thumb across the emblazoned metal, she shook her head and looked up at Crosshairs, the other humans waiting for her response.

"No. No, I'm not."

He shared a look with Hound, and Bumblebee ducked under the opening, making sure to mind his balance with them in his hands. Optimus was stepping through the clearing in the lobby ahead of them, Drift not too far behind him. Mira's heart twisted as she watched him cast a look to them, and then look away, a painful expression of defeat on his face.


	31. The Transmission--Ark Entry 4

_**Author's Note**_

**The Ark, 1618**

* * *

"There is a communication transmission coming through, Commander."

Sideswipe, having returned to his rightful place the Ark's helm, turns to look slightly over his shoulder at Optimus, one arm on the wheel still. Optimus looks to me, turning from his star charts, and gestures for Springer and Bumblebee to close them down for the remainder of the evening.

Earth time would put us at roughly four in the afternoon-but in space, time really cannot be measured. So much so, that it has me hours and weeks deprived of sleep; I am only functioning due to whatever time First Aide puts me under a light, innocent for of anesthesia to keep my body rested. Most of my time is bound to studying, as both First Aide and Perceptor continue to persuade Optimus in forcing me to.

We have just spotted Aquatron on the star charts, somewhere I have not yet gone. Optimus tells me that long ago he had left some of his best warriors there to help rebuild the government systems-after they had defeated the scoundrel named the Curator, who had double crossed not only Optimus and his Autobots but Megatron as well, so long ago. We are en-route to meeting them now.

"Bring up the transmission," Optimus spoke more to Teletraan-1, the Ark's computing systems, more than he did Sideswipe, "Activate video positioning and transmission analysis."

Telatraan-1 obeyed the order, and I came up beside Optimus, a small version of a star chart at hand. Darkening the screen, I crossed my arms over it and pressed it into my chest, and gave a look up to Optimus. "Do you think it is Rodimus and Kup and the others?"

"That is unsure," Optimus replied quickly, gentility flooding his voice, "but I can only hope it is a friendly, as the Ark cannot sustain much more damage. We have already lost most of the hull, as well as the outer defense systems."

I nodded, "I understand,"

The video came to life, and it was not Rodimus. I dropped the star chart tablet, my mouth dropping open as I spotted Cade Yeager, my brother Bryce, and other NEST soldiers crowding around what appeared to be some type of camera. They were all smiles, and Springer informed us that they were on live feed.

I looked up to Optimus, joy overriding any other emotion in my soul, "It's...home!" I declared, stepping up the railing. Lacing my arms over the top, I stared at the huge screen with my family's face shining brightly to me, and I greeted them, "Welcome aboard the Ark, Earth team! We're glad to have you with us,"

"_**And we're sure glad to see you're okay!" **_Cade Yeager, a survivor of the Hong Kong war with Galvatron and Lockdown, winked at us, "_**Space as grand and big as you thought?"**_

"Far more, my friend," I chuckled lightly, "far more than we could've ever found on our own. We are nearing a new planet now-Aquatron."

_**"And you will be ascending?" **_That was Bryce, my brother. He looked slightly panicked, if not jealous, and I nodded all smiles again.

"Absolutely," I nodded firmly, once, "I'll be documenting everything, don't worry."

Cade grabbed the camera and extended it over his shoulder, where a sea of individuals were gathered in waiting. Upon seeing the camera, Cade shouted to them: _**"Give 'em a big Texas hello, everyone! They're above us now!" **_

There was a commotion of whoops and hollars, as well as whistles and cheers. The excitement on their end was riveting, almost ecstatic. I waved back at them, and Optimus brow-saluted them in greeting. Sideswipe was chuckling, and whatever the other Autobots were doing was a mystery. "How many of you guys are there!?" I asked excitedly, "the entire base-"

"_-__**200 of us," **_ Cade beamed, "_**you sure have a lot of people missin' you down here, everyone. We're about to lose you, so God bless ya and we'll see you real soon."**_

I smiled, winked, and nodded once, "Absolutely. See ya later, guys!"

The feed cut out, and they were gone; Aquatron just on the horizon of the stars.

* * *

_Sending Transmission:_

_**Holy Primus, everyone! We're at 200 reviews, and hopefully counting! Just wanted to send a big shout-out to everyone who's been following the story, ya'll are so great. I appreciate your effort to keep up with the Uprising, and I am honored that you all have adopted Mira and her family into your hearts. **_

_** Don't worry-there will be a sequel, once the Uprising is closed. I'm already in talks with a notebook, pen, and a few trusted authors that have been PMing me for awhile now (Answerthecall and grapejuice101) and have recruited them for ideas. **_

_** Thanks for staying tuned, and more to come!**_

_**In Honor, **_

_**Miriam (Miss A. Prime)**_


	32. Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**...**

"You've been indemnified!"

Attinger threw aside the cuffs as Joshua had them cut off him, Savoy, and the other guard. JOshua wondered if the man was on the verge of some type of mental breakdown, or a heart attack much less. He was red-faced almost to the point where it looked permanently discolored, and he was spitting out orders like some type of drill sergeant.

Joshua ordered that Galvatron be readied for public testing-Galvatron, his precious Galvatron! After years of hard work, research, labor, and money, he'd finally done it! His specks from the two heads gathered from the contract with Cemetery Wind had earned him the perfect amount of information for constructing such a creation-he had done it, he'd actually done it!

He wasn't anywhere near public testing, as he'd protested to Attinger, but the man had simply not cared-he'd indemnified KSI and Galvatron, as well as Stinger. They were prepping the machines to intercept the Autobots now. As they walked by the windows on the first floor, Joshua spotted the Pagani and the Freightliner already departing swiftly.

Something within him dropped, probably his stomach, and he's suddenly regretted that $250 sushi lunch he'd eaten earlier. But then again, nothing of his had ever failed before, so this couldn't be that bad.

At least he hoped it couldn't.

**...**

As soon as Bumblebee had stepped out of KSI, the Autobots transformed down, and they began fleeing the city. Optimus had told Mira over a private communication link that he had a hunch they would not be alone, that KSI would be using those prototypes faster than he would've preferred. So, they'd agreed to go mobile, and get out of the city.

Just at the outskirts, Optimus' sentiments had proved right.

A fast approaching Freightliner cab-over semi, a flashy silver and black model, roared up behind them on the interstate, in no time at all. Mira wondered if they'd been indemnified by Cemetery Wind-certainly Joshua wouldn't hand over his prototypes that quickly, especially to the military. Then she wondered if they'd done all the required testing to see if their prototypes wouldn't blow up in their faces.

She hadn't seen the Freightliner, but she recognized the Pagani roar up past the semi. She had opted to ride with Hound, to cover the rear should there be any need. Optimus had immediately objected, stating that Bumblebee take the humans out of the city.

_"I do not need to worry about you with KSI right behind us," _Optimus' voice was stern on the radio, filtering into the Hound's cab, "_You need to be out of the city, and out of-"_

"We're staying," Mira stated simply, sticking her head out the window now to look at the Freighliner, which roared on mechanically, making its way down the freeway and swerving by civilian vehicles. The Pagani was weaving in and out of traffic, quickly approaching. She looked ahead, to see Drift slide to intercept the Pagani from going ahead, both cars slamming the brakes with a screech and falling into the ditch. "Drift!" Mira panicked. She looked to the radio, where Optimus continued.

"_Get her out of there, Hound! Follow Bumblebee and bring them to safety!"_

Mira grabbed the E-Brake and pulled back hard, Hound not stopping, put plugging on. He got the idea, however, when she hollared back, "No! We stay and fight, you can't hold them alone!"

Without thinking, grabbed the Baretta from her waistband and swung it around, grabbing hold of the seatbelt with her right hand to keep her from falling out the window. Pinching an eye shut as hair flew across her face, Hound still roaring down the highway as Bumblebee rocketed ahead beside her, she took aim and fired off a round at the Freightliner. Her firing continued, the bullets ricocheting off the semi, until the unthinkable happened.

It shattered into a million pieces, the pieces forming together like a trail of particles, swerving and moving and wiggling like some type of serpent. It twisted and moved sleekly through the air, before she noticed two hands and a head began to form out of the particle wave, until the body finally began to take shape. The robot, now entirely complete, rocketed to the ground, hand slamming into a nearby Honda which had braked hard, a blade ripping through a truck on the other wrist. He looked up at her, as Hound had stopped, and roared madly, his eyes icy and desperately wicked. Her heart froze.

"What is that?" Hound protested, shifting the vehicle into drive before roaring back down the road, flying through his gears quickly, "It looks like Pit!"

She wrinkled her brow, fell back into the seat, and tucked her hair behind her ear, "I don't know," she checked the mirror and found him fast approaching, and she watched as Optimus braked, whirled around and almost tossed his alternation form into a wreck, and squealed his tires in reverse gear. Drift, Crosshairs, and Bumblebee all dodged traffic, Bumblebee rocketing forward, Drift and Crosshairs roaring to a stop and whipping around a few yards past Prime.

"Bumblebee!" she interjected quickly, "Get Merrick out of here, right now!" The radio quirked and hissed in replied, only to have him spin his tires and continue on, away from the scene. She grabbed the E-Brake again and jerked back, this time Hound coming a stop, skidding out on the freeway. She popped the latch and hustled out of the Defense vehicle to get a better view, rushing to a nearby car that the being had tossed aside recklessly.

"MIRA!" Optimus boomed, the being coming ever closer. He instantly began his transformation, throwing a finger at her in point, "Crosshairs, Drift, defend Mira! I will intercept the KSI machine!" Both cars spun their tires, now coming off road at her, as a barrage of gunfire erupted from the street towards all of them.

This sent Mira flying to the ground, rolling farther down the hill of the ditch until she was at the edge of the cornfields. Curling herself into a ball to defend her head, the bullets began colliding with metal. She unfolded her body to see Crosshairs standing before her, returning fire to the untransformed Pagani, his arm shielding her body, as well as his foot.

"You are entirely insane!" He barked at her, "Completely screwloose, Mira! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"The cars-the people-"

He glared at her, "They're _dead_!"

Getting up, she bolted back for the street, and stopped behind a wrecked vehicle. In the distance she saw Bumblebee had stopped, and she could almost make out the forms of the other humans unloading from him. Her heart hammered like a brass band within her chest, watching as Optimus engaged the other mech in hand-to-hand, a fiesty compilation of mixed martial arts, until he pulled out his wrist blade and stuck it into the mech's chest.

"You have no sou1!" Optimus screamed at him, his voice shrill and heavy with warfare. The other being's spark chamber-a gaping yellow and orange hole in his chest-at away the blade as if it were paper Mache. This caused her to gasp, and she ducked again when the Pagani skidded to a stop beside her cover, extending a mini-gun from the fender. Mira screamed, rolled under the car, and covered her head as the bullets littered the air from where she had just been crouching.

"That is why I have no fear!" the other mech returned, his voice uglier than Megatron's. His voice startled her-Joyce had programmed them to speak? With AI? This panicked her, and she rolled over on her stomach to watch him, both their feet making pot-holes just feet from her place on the asphalt.

The Pagani roared away, in the opposite direction, Crosshairs and Drift following it back towards the city. Hound pursued them as well, leaving her and Optimus alone in the littered freeway with this robotic character who could speak. He was supposed to be controlled by KSI, but his fluid movements and his amazing ability to match Optimus-which no man-made and controlled machine could ever do-told her otherwise. The Shield resting against her chest was burning as if on fire, her skin long since numb to the feeling. Something here was not right at all, and she would know what.

A strong uppercut to Optimus' chin plating sent sparks flying as metal collided with metal, sending the leader staggering back a few feet, only to return with a wide right jab and then a round-house. The being eluded both, then lowered and charged for Prime's midsection. Optimus pivoted at the right moment, slamming an elbow into the being's spine, sending him rocketing to the ground-

-and directly at Mira's cover.

She screamed, scrambled from beneath the car, and bolted away from the vehicle. Running hard and fast towards the direction of the city, she heard the bots continue to go at it, metal screeching on metal in protest. She could feel the heat of their sparks almost, could sense the sparks skittering on the ground as the metal caused friction against itself. Her blood pumped so fast within her ears she thought for a minute she would drown in it.

"Behind you, Mira!" Optimus hollared at her, defensively. She whirled around to see the being soaring towards her, obviously from a tough defensive maneuver from Optimus. She ducked out of the way, down into the ditch again, the heels of her boots cutting into the earth. Pushing herself up, she grabbed the Baretta again from her waistband and fired a shot into the mech's face, them bouncing off with a glance. He growled, extended a hand towards her and sweep it horizontally, as if clearing a chessboard. She ducked, hit the ground, then picked herself up as he came back again, this time his talon-like fingers piercing the earth beside her. Mira gasped, came up short, as he rolled onto his stomach, now supporting himself by his knees and hands in the earth. He sneered at her, sending her a staggering step backwards, and locked eyes with her.

"Keeper of the Shield," he snarled demonically, "if only you did not serve such a high purpose. Then I would sink my fangs into your flesh and devour your soul." This surprised her, Mira raising her brows at such a comment-she'd never heard that one before. And he knew her-this thing knew who she was, and for a moment she wondered if KSI was controlling him.

But his optics were a burning scarlet color, like most Decepticons, but held depth-intelligence, not like that of a man-made machine, but that of a Cybertronian. Burning rage and hatred were seeded there, like cold cement. Mira found in them the deepest of evils, an evil more strong than Megatron's, a hatred more severe. It seized her for a moment, tossed her stomach to her feet, and rendered her knees to a trembling, quaking mess. That was, until she realized who she was: she was General Mira Lennox, Keeper of the Shield of the Matrix of Leadership. She would not let him fear factor own her, and she met his statement with icy coldness in her own voice.

"And if only you were not a machine, I would rip your heart out." This surprised him, and he would've chuckled, except Optimus seized the back of his head with a strong hand and tossed him aside with a growl of exertion. The being snarled, shoved Optimus aside and knocked him down with a punch to what would be the ribcage, and he swiped a burning car away from him.

"I am not intimidated by a human femme," he jested wickedly, "I am Galvatron, lord of the Decepticons, master of darkness! I fear no one!"

That statement was familiar as well. Optimus rebutted the comment with one of his own, "You are lord over nothing!" He swung another jab at Galvatron, and ducked the mech's high punch. Mira skittered out of the way as concrete fell from Galvatron's hands when he pulled his hand from the earth after catching himself.

Mira sought refuge behind a silver Cadillac SUV, wincing and grimacing as parts and grunts and groans hammered on overhead, Optimus now mere feet from her place. He twisted and ducked and attacked, using all his upper body strength. Mira had realized she was trembling, and reached up for the Shield as she always did when she was panicked. It was warm, almost whirring; she could feel the thrumming in the inner working of the artifact. She looked towards the city, and her eyes widened.

"OPTIMUUUUS!" She screeched, as if bloody murder was on the horizon.

He had no time to react. Then, suddenly, and explosion rained down sparks, fire, parts, and screams around her. Optimus was instantly forced to his knees, arms outstretching, screaming in agony, a decently sized hole emblazoned in his chest. His chest began to spark and fizzle, and he fell backwards, into the front of Mira's car, just before she dashed out of the way of the incoming-paralzyed-body of Optimus Prime. She was thrown by the impact a few feet, colliding with the cable median in the middle of the freeway, the cables digging in her back, hips and shoulders before using the tension in them to push her away with a rough and ungraceful smack.

Pushing herself up, she jerked her head to get her curls, now frizzy and disheveled, out of her face. Her heart seized and her stomach came up to her throat, but she pushed it back with his name erupting from her lips, at first hoarse, "Optimus," she tried, scrambling to her feet and practically launching herself towards him.

Galvatron was already gone, roaring down the freeway. She watched him go, until there was a pickup in wind speed behind her. She didn't care, and ran towards Optimus, skidding on the loose asphalt and debris until she graciously bumped into his wrist to stop herself. He moaned quickly, his body and clicking and quirking, and he turned his head to her, giving her a dazed and half conscious look.

"Get...out of..." he reached over his torso with his other hand to use a fingertip to touch her chin gently, "...get out of here..." he managed, directing his attention to the horizon before him, "Lockdown..."

"I can't just leave you here," she said shakily, attempting to keep her voice in control and steady, "can you move, Optim-?"

He glared at her, "I said get out of here, Miriam! Right _NOW!" _His tone charged her with surprise, and she took half a step back, her hands releasing from the armor of his wrist. He instantly looked apologetic and then asked her quietly, "Please," he asked graciously, "I cannot lose you again. Go, now."

Mira checked over her shoulder as she heard hyperdrives squealing in release. the earth trembled, as did the air as it whipped around, as if a tornado was brewing in the atmosphere. Instead, she turned full face and found the sky entirely eaten by the biggest ship she perhaps could even begin to fathom. It was black, like night, with a glowing central hub-probably the bridge, with pillars extending towards the sky, which she assumed to be engines.

But, that was not what terrified her. What seized her soul in an iron fist was the figure walking towards them, the humanoid looking form of Lockdown, his face mostly transformed-a green shield his features, with Cybertronian writing and code littered about it. It drew back quietly, until he stopped a few feet before them, staring at her as if she were pure and utter wealth. Heat flared as he looked back to Optimus.

"I feel sorry for you, Prime," he said in a mocking sympathy, "Your allegiance to these humans," she shook his head, bringing his right hand to rest upon his knee, "is most troublesome. The trouble with allegiance to a cause, is that the cause always betrays you, and stabs you in the back-right into the heart."

Optimus, struggling to stand to Mira's right, was unable to move from his downed position, "Who has sent you?" Optimus snarled at him, his optics demanding an answer. Mira moved back half a step, grabbing onto the extended door of the Cadillac, just in case she was going to faint, which she knew she wasn't.

Lockdown gave her a lock, and then directed his statement to Prime, a chuckle tickling his throat, "Where do you think you came from?" His voice was like smooth, black velvet, trimmed and dipped in poison; seemingly hypnotic, "humph. You think you were born, heh?" He scoffed, "No..." He stood now, looking to Mira again, his eyes dropping her resolve instantly as he seemed focused on one part of her, and that one part only, as if the rest of her didn't exist:

The Shield.

"...no, you were _built_." The way he said it, so decretory, knocked her back. Her fingers wrapped around the frame, keeping her upright, but her shoulder muscles strained and protested. She staggered forward into Optimus' arm, resting against the back of his elbow, almost peeking out behind it as if she were hiding from Lockdown. The Shield had all but silenced now, and was an icy emblem, cold and dead.

Lockdown chuckled, "...And your creators want you back." He began to pack up, extending an arm towards Optimus, and then chuckled at her, "I hope you were not expecting to stay on this planet long, femme. You, you are coming _with me_." Then, in one swift motion, he slid his visor back down, and charged for her in a stride.

Mira pushed herself off Optimus' arm, dashing for the ditch. She didn't even make it off the asphalt before a thick hand wrapped itself around her torso, plucking her from the ground as if she were a ragdoll. Lockdown was not that large, nor was he tall, but he was tall enough to render her powerless in his hands. He held her snugly, before lifting her so she could see him face to face. Mira thrashed violently, tossing her body in every direction, pounding her fists into his hands for release-which she knew would not come. Tears had erupted from her eyes as she heard the calls coming down the freeway, the screams from Bryce, Cade, and Tessa.

And Merrick.

"Lockdown," Optimus stated behind him, extending a hand forward, pleading, "You're fight is with me," his hand instantly clenched into a tight fist and he slammed it into the earth, creating yet another pothole, " let her go!"

He chuckled, "My fight is with whoever I am charged to find," he looked to Mira, who had stopped and was panting at him, glaring through her fallen curls. The screams behind them grew louder and louder as her heart pounded hard, continually, as if it were a time-bomb counting down the minutes before its explosion, "and I am charged to find you, Optimus Prime, and your artifacts. The femme comes with us, and she will be staying for a long time." He chuckled at her, giving her a slight, sarcastic, wicked smile, "a long time indeed."

He used the other hand, pointed to Optimus, and signaled something with a remote connection, because the release-hatch detached a dropship from the main vessel, it rocketing to life and surging for them in a rapid sound of fueled hyperdrive. It dropped into a hover beside Lockdown, extending a hatch, which Lockdown moved towards.

"MOM!" The cries were clear now, as Merrick and the others came into plain sight. Mira looked over her shoulder, Lockdown stopping for a moment to glane and snort, then continued his saunter towards the dropship. It prepared firing systems, and Mira was all but screaming panic at the boy, who would not stop. "MOMMA!"

She put up her hands and pointed at the boy, "No! No, stay back!" She was sobbing now, clawing at Lockdown's hands for release, "Cade, grab him! Please!" She then whipped a look to Lockdown, "Please, he's my son! Have mercy, please! He's my _son!" _He would hear nothing of it, and stepped into the machine.

"MOMMA! NO! COME BACK, MOMMA!"

She sobbed now, "Merrick, MERRICK!" Lockdown prepared the doors to close, Mira listening to the machine configure. There was a sharp pop, and she saw the guns fire anchoring units into Optimus, a net cyberforming around him. The ship began to rise, and she screamed now, louder if possible, her voice richoeting off her lungs and searing pain through her throat and sinus, piercing even her own ears, "I love you, I love you so much! It's okay...Momma will be back!" The door closed with a sealing release of air, and the tension left her body, as if in shock. Lockdown was seated now in his seat, flipping switches and sending commands. He released her, her sitting on his knee. She could see them ascending upwards, Optimus in tow, trapped within the net. Her heart shattered, as if ripping in two, and her body froze over with shock as she watched Cade wrap his arms around Merrick and pick him up from the pavement, eyes on the ship.

"You humans," Lockdown began with a disgusted snort, "you and your false promises. You have ignited a hope in your creation that you will not be able to fulfill. Very unwise."

She just glared up at him, watching as the earth was swallowed when the dropship came to home base within the hatch doors. They closed with a resounding clang, and the earth as she knew it was gone...

...she was in an entire new ballgame, now.


	33. Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**...**

Cade struggled with the boy in his arms.

Merrick had done nothing but kick and scream and wriggling and holler to the sky, pointing and reaching for heavens after the hatch to the main ship had swallowed the miniature one, and his sobs were so violent Cade was worried the boy would through himself into a seizure. Bryce had fallen to his knees, on the asphalt, looking to the sky as well; his heart in his eyes, which had overpoured tears onto his face. He could see the rage on his face. Tessa just stood, coldly, arms crossed over her chest, watching Merrick, tears pouring down her face as well.

"Let me go!" Merrick was screaming, "LET me down, CADE! Let me goooo!" His voice was choked with the sobs of grief, his face bright red and tear-stained. Finally, he began kicking his feet, where they slammed into Cade's midsection. He doubled over, released the boy, when Bryce immediately swooped up beside him, draping one of Cade's arm around his shoulders for support. Pain rocketed from his stomach and into his lungs, as he lifted his head to watch Merrick tear down the road, in the general direction of the ship, Tessa bolting after him. "MA! Come back, MOMMA! Optimus!" Tessa grabbed onto his wrist, pulled him back, and stepped to the front of him him, kneeling. She began to talk to him, the boy still yet shaking wildly still, until he fell into her and wrapped his arms around her neck. Merrick buried his face into her shoulder and screamed like only little boys could.

It was the most shattering thing Cade had experienced since Emily's death.

Rage overcame him—rage that he could only describe as loyalty, and determination. It seized his soul like a violent beast, clutching him and unwilling to let go. His heart burned in his chance, and for a minute he thought how unfair this all was, having another woman taken away from him. But, then he realized, as the Autobots came roaring back, that Mira had never been his to have.

Bumblebee screeched to a stop behind them, smoke from his tires wafting their direction and carrying the scent of rubber and tar. He quickly transformed, and took a knee behind them, as Bryce gently dropped Cade's arm after observing that he could stand. He turned to Bumblebee, and the yellow bot extended a hand on the tar and offered it to Bryce. He did not hesitate, and stumbled into it, falling to his knees and resting his arm on the bot's hand—letting his forehead hit the metal with a resounding crack, and began to sob.

"She's my sister, Bumblebee!" He screamed now, Bumblebee tilting his head to the side and quirking and clicking his sympathies, pain overtaking his optics. Cade watched the mech, filled with compassion and obviously heartbroken, as he took his other hand an wrapped it around Bryce's body, pulling him close as if in a tender, giant hug. "She's….my sister…" was all Bryce could say through a broken, shaky voice.

_"I know, compadre," _the radio came to life with a gentle sigh, "_don't worry, we'll get her get her back—we have to get her back!"_

The other Autobots seized the opportunity for transformation, and Tessa brought little Merrick back, hand in his. He swiped at his wet face, and ran his wrist under his nose, the little boy's eyes already puffy and red from intense crying. They stopped next to Cade, and the boy released Tessa's hand, walking straight into Cade's legs and wrapping his arms around them, resting his head against his stomach and sniffling, his face contorted into almost a painful expression. Cade, shooting a look to Tessa who was nodding at him, wrapped his arms securely around the boy and rubbed his shoulders.

"They're never comin' back, are they?" Merrick asked, his voice squeaky. Cade, now looking to the Autobots before him—Drift, Crosshairs, and Hound—for help. They all shared a look before looking at the boy, compassion emanating from their eyes, as well as desperation and confusion. They were just as much at a loss with Optimus being gone and unable to lead them, and Cade realized their position.

With both Mira and Optimus gone, that left a bunch of answered questions. They rest of them did not stand a chance against that new robot—Galvatron, was that his name?—or anything else that KSI had planned, because Cade knew this wasn't over. Something about the secrecy, something about the insidiousness of Joyce's conversation with Optimus made him think there was something deeper going on here, something they would need both Optimus and Mira for—because obviously they were important, otherwise what would that bounty hunter want with them?

"Yes," Cade said, strongly, putting his on his best brave face, "they'll be back—" he looked at the three before him, then over his shoulder at Bumblebee. "—because we're getting them back."

Crosshairs immediately intercepted his thought, "Oh, are we now?" He bent to look at Cade with a look of disbelief, mixed with disgust, "Who died and made you the Prime around here? I don't take my orders from humans," he waved Cade off, then scowled at him "because if I _did, _I'd be dead."

Bumblebee pointed a finger at him, and whizzed ferociously, and Crosshairs shook his head, "Nu-uh, bumblebebrain," he waved a finger at Bumblebee warningly, "I ain't takin' orders from a human! And surely not from you either, wuss!"

This enraged the Camaro, who gently shoved Bryce off his hand, and stomped past him towards Crosshairs. His new battle-mask fell into place, and he reared back to pop Crosshairs in the mouth with a punch. Crosshairs whipped an arm out, grabbed Bumblebee's wrist, and laughed. "You think you pop me one,'Bee? Let's see you actually try." Bumblebee, enraged again, released a shot of hot air from his systems.

_"This kid's about to kick your—"_

Almost instantly, Merrick dashed between the two quarreling bots. Hands thrusting into the air, all three of the other humans bolted for him in panic. "STOP IT!" He screamed up at them. This dropped both mech's attention to the ground, and Crosshairs roughly released Bumblebee's arm. "Don't fight! Please!" Crosshairs and Bumblebee each took a step backwards, "I have something to say, alright?" The tone of the six-year-old was entirely serious, "and I'm asking _nicely."_

Drift intercepted the boy, taking a knee and dropping a hand for him. Merrick quickly scrambled onto it, and Drift scowled at the other two mech's, rising now. He lifted his hand to his shoulder, where Merrick took a seat, legs dangling over the plating there, "I suggest you two follow the boy's example. He seems to have much more maturity and charisma than the two of you combined," he then shifted his optics to the side to look at Merrick, "what are your thoughts, young one?"

Merrick looked down and twisted his hands together, perhaps nervously, "We have to get my Mom back, and Optimus," he began quietly. Hound bombarded his way into their circle, his triple mini-gun braced against his wrist, ever still puffing on his "cigar". They watched the boy, and waited, "Mom is all I got left. If we don't get her back, then—then I'm all by myself." He looked up at all of them, now entirely eye-level. "The bad guys already took my Daddy away. I don't want them to take my Momma, and I surely don't want them to take Uncle Optimus," this surprised the entire group, where Bumblebee's mouth dropped open in surprise, "because if he's gone, then you guys are all alone too."

This resonated with the group, and Cade smiled up at Merrick, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding firmly once. The kid at gutspa, that was for sure, and he had words—like his Mom. He was proud of the boy, able to take on the galaxy's toughest army with his words, and he obviously has earned their attention, if not respect, because Crosshairs sighed dramatically.

"Why does he have to be just like his mother?" He shrugged his shoulder and looked up to the sky. "It just isn't even fair—we don't need another Mira around."

Hound looked over his shoulder, to where Lockdown's spacecraft was pushing aside the clouds, heading back towards the city. He sighed, looked back to his group, and removed the cigar from his mouth, and spoke, "The sparklin' has a point," he said gruffly, "if we don't get Mira and Optimus back, we're screwed out the aft. Besides, Lockdown's gunna find out about the Shield, if he already hasn't, and then that's worse news than the latter."

Drift folded his hands together, smiling almost cheekily at Merrick, "I agree. We must intercept the ship and get Mira, as well as Optimus, back."

Crosshairs facepalmed, bringing out his weapon, and puffed out a breath, "A'ight, a'ight, I get it, I get it. I'm in. So," they all looked down at Cade, "what's the play then, brainiac?"

**…**

There were two cars readied outside KSI, and Attinger slipped into the Cadillac. Savoy took the Range Rover behind him, both splitting off in opposite directions. The communication link in his ear crackled to life as he readied his computer.

"_Lockdown has the girl, and the big guy," _Savoy confirmed, "_he's en-route now. I'll prep a chopper and prepare for interception."_

Attinger nodded to the driver, who had asked if they were traveling to the city's biggest—and most open—park, where Lockdown had instructions to tether the ship right off the harbor, "Go."

_"With pleasure." _

**…**

The dropship fell onto the landing pad expertly, as if it had done it a thousand times before. Mira didn't doubt it hadn't, since Lockdown was in the habit of invading planets and taking prizes, as were most bounty hunters and mercenaries. There was a resounding clang, as well as a sharp thunk as Optimus hit the ground before them. Lockdown released the hatch and seized her yet again, this time roughly, and stepped out of the dropship.

Mira took the moment to take in the inner workings of the ship. It was huge—probably nearly 100 feet tall, the ceilings a cathedral of black twisting metals and circuits. Light pierced through the metal piecings, and into the room, but the ship was lighted with some type of energy source. The landing pad connected to a pathway, which ran across the entire ship: before them was a fork, one path going left and deep into the ship, where a flame was teeming with rage and mechanical arms were dropping things into what she assumed to be a trash burning system. The other pathway mazed around the ship in a petrifyingly dizzy array.

The inside of the spacecraft was like a city—there was stations everywhere, as well as what appeared to be observation chambers that looked like cylindrical tubes coming up from the ground. There was screams, distant cries, grunting and frantic wailing; as well as movement coming from the first line of those chambers, where six of them were sitting side by side along the pathway. Mira, horrified, saw movement in them and realized they were cages, housing living, breathing beings. Her stomach contorted, and she thought for a moment she would throw up.

The entire scenario was surreal—Mira had never seen any type of Cybertronian craft; she'd never been aboard one. It was fantastically beautiful, and large, as well as terrifying. She was a mixture of curiosity, amazement, fear, and confusion as she couldn't take in the entire building without a million questions circling her brain. Above them was a system of path, again, met with hugely thick cables glowing and teeming with life, perhaps providing power to the engines and the other system the ship required for functionality. Upon those walkways she saw guards, with guns—Lockdown's loyals, watching her with blank expressions, their faces shielded with visors much like Lockdown's.

There was squealing and rolling, and Mira looked down to see four garage-crawler like beings roll up to Optimus, and shoot tethers into him. Then, above them, the ceiling groaned and shifted apart, and a mechanical arm extended down to them and removed the cyberformed net from around Prime's body—who was coherent now, seemingly not in any pain, but still paralyzed on the floor. He must've been shot with some type of paralytic EMP blast from Lockdown, and that was all Mira could do to account for the incident.

The crawlers then pushed forward, and the pathway transformed below Optimus, into what appeared to be like a freight-cart, hovering along the pathway. Now he was gliding across the walkway, looking around, Lockdown right behind him with Mira still in his thick grasp. She pressed her hands into Lockdown's fist, trying to lean forward to see Optimus fully. The crawlers teamed on.

"Remember this ship, Prime?" Lockdown chuckled wickedly, "so beautifully crafted for you Knights, you great crusaders. I commandeered it, it's my personal prison now." The last statement flew from his tongue like daggers and she glared at him.

"Seems more like a prison to them then it is to you," she referred to the prisoners, who shook and screamed in their cages, rattling them violently for release.

Lockdown snarled at her, "Get used of the idea, femme," he spat, "you'll be joining your detainees momentarily."

They made their way through the ship, Mira's heart alive with thoughts, panic, and worry. She thought of Merrick and the others, how they were leaving them behind. She wondered what they were planning, if they were going to attempt a rescue. Surely they would, The Autobots were not about to leave their leader to die aboard this death vessel. She then wondered if their attempt would be successful or not.

She could only pray they would be.


	34. Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

…

"Welcome back to the Knight's Terminus, Prime."

Mira had all she could do to take the sheer amazement she felt. Her emotions felt whiplashed within her: she was utterly and completely astounded—if not a bit excited—to be on an actual Cybertronian ship; but she was entirely petrified that she the prisoner aboard this ship—as well as the only human. Or female, for that matter.

Some of the creatures, most sentient if not alive, had stopped to stare at her as she was paraded by. Mira had considered they were staring at the Autobot leader, captured and down for the count; but then she'd realized they all were staring at perhaps the only female they'd seen in half a lifetime. It pitted a sour emotion in her stomach, and her gag reflex had all it could do to keep the contents of her stomach in check. So, she'd resigned herself to the fact that she was stuck her, and Mira had decided, upon looking down at Optimus, that she would take this in stride, with grace and courage. She saw absolutely no point in cowering away from this…situation. It would get her nowhere.

And now, she was far too busy to be anything but an amazed child; a child in the eyes of the technological developments around her. The Teminus, as Lockdown has so eloquently dubbed it, was like a platform; suspended in the middle of the ship; below it a seemingly endless abyss of blackness which Mira could only describe as the underbelly of the ship. Around it encircled a huge mechanical arm, which floated around the terminus; Mira guessed it was a gyrus, which kept the ship balanced—this must've been the center the vessel.

What petrified her the most about this place was not its size—she'd gotten used the enormity of the Autobots and their species already, it didn't bother her. What bothered her was the idea that it was an island, which she would not be able to get off—since to cross from the main walkway of the ship required a wide stride over a gap, one that a Cybertronian could easily make—but not a human being, like herself.

She watched Optimus—Lockdown spoke to him in a manner which made Mira to believe that Optimus had been aboard this ship before, that he should know it. The idea puzzled her, since he told her before he was a librarian in Iacon, working in the Hall of Records under one Alpha Trion. She wondered how he had come to live aboard this ship, with all these…beings. Or if these beings were implemented upon Lockdown's succession of the ship. She couldn't imagine Optimus keeping prisoners—in such conditions, no less.

The crawler's suddenly jerked to a stop, released Optimus, and left the way they'd come. The hovering craft Optimus had been transported on sank back into the floor of the Terminus, him now laying in the middle of erected platform. Cages around them, one towering above the rest, were dormant and still. Mira looked around as the eerily quietness of the atmosphere grated along her nerves, coursing a path through her body. One that both petrified her and encouraged her more. Then, the break that silence, was the sound of heavy breathing.

Mira followed the noise as Lockdown released her. For an instant she thought of running, but then she realized she had nowhere to run. Then, she realized she was shaking, and held out her hand to examine them. Surely as day would come, she had a tremble to her hands. Backing up slowly, she ignored Lockdown as he prepared what she could only assume a prison cell for Optimus. Her back collided with something, and she squealed, whipped around, to find that it was only Optimus, who was looking at her with sorrowful, painful optics—he looked as if he'd been defeated. She closed her eyes and he, obviously regaining some feeling very slowly, overturned his hand palm up, and crooked his index finger, waving her forward with it slowly and tenderly. Mira obliged and seated herself on his hand.

He, ever so delicately, moved his thumb inward for her to rest against. Instead of resting against it, Mira took to snuggling against it and wrapping her arms around it as if in a hug. Her body instantly relaxed, and security flooded her being, and she could finally allow silent tears to flow down her face. "It is alright, dear one," Optimus said softly, in a breathed whisper, "I am here. You are safe."

She gave him a look, glancing from the corner of her eye as she still clutched to his thumb—which was cool and smelled of grinding sparks and diesel, as well as Energon. Nodding silently, she couldn't speak over the lump forming in her throat.

"There is no such thing as safety aboard my ship," Lockdown sneered at Optimus, "especially if you are a prisoner," he shot a look to Mira, then pointed at her, and moved all his fingers forward towards himself, as if beckoning her to come. Mira's heart froze, and it must've been evident, for all heat left her body, and she assumed her color as well. She shot a look to Optimus, who rolled his head to glare at Lockdown.

"You are trying my patience, human," Lockdown added wickedly, "I will not ask twice."

Optimus gave her an apologetic, yet stern and warning look, "Go," he said quietly, "do as he says." Mira nodded, slipped off his hand and slowly walked along the length of his shoulder, until she stopped, beside his head. He rolled it to look at her, and she turned hers to look at him. They stood there for a moment, staring at one another, and Mira's heart flipped. Then, she looked up to Lockdown, and took a few steps forward, before she heard the next sound.

There was a sudden snarl, a sound almost as demonic as something that had arisen from the underworld, coming from across the platform. Optimus looked there, and Lockdown jerked his head to glare and snarl at the being. Mira quickly took half a step back, out of reaction, until Lockdown took a knee, slammed his hand onto the floor, and glared at her. Biting her lower lip, she gently stepped into his grasp and immediately he lifted her off the ground, and stepped away from Optimus. Her reaction was less than brave, and she panicked.

"No!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the extremely high walls of the vessel, bouncing back at them.

Her scream caused Lockdown to stop, cringe, and then turn. He made his way over to a control console, pressed a finger against a panel, and shook his head. "No all beings on this vessel understand and appreciate noise," he hissed at her, "…you would be wise to keep your voice quiet." There was another snarl, and a brief rattling of a cage, then a squawk. Mira whipped her attention behind them, turning in his palm, and saw two red eyes glaring back at her, upside down.

It was coming from the massive cell. Her stomach dropped, and she swallowed thickly. There was a transformation, in the middle of the platform beside Optimus, as a new, smaller platform transformed out of the floor and began to rise. It rose as high as Lockdown, a staging 30 feet, then topped off with a circular surface. The entire pillar was huge; the circular top had a diameter roughly the size of a garage stall. It was entirely flat, silver, with Cybertronian etching within it. Instantly, Lockdown strode towards it in two steps, and almost tossed her onto the platform. It was massively empty and alone, as well as high—and felt unsafe, considering if just rose out of the floor into existence. She staggered to balance herself, then looked around. Directly in the middle of the platform, she could see everything on the Terminus, as well as the exit.

This was a feeling of vulnerability, and she hated it.

"Join the rest of your fellow rebels, fugitive scum," he snorted to her, "as well as your Prime." He then rounded around Optimus, and raised his hands, looking to the ceiling as if in splendor of the command center, "it's for the worst of the worst, the rarest of the specimen I collect throughout my travels—my trophy case," he chuckled sadistically at this, "and now I have a Prime, as well as a human." He shot her a look, then gave her a despicable half smile, "and it would only be fitting to put the first femme I have collected in the Terminus."

She glared at him, "You're disgusting," she challenged, "you think you collect beings? Freedom is a right that will come around when the times comes for it to ring true," she looked away to the caged beings, then to Optimus, "…every being deserves it, and every being will have it. One way or another."

He snorted at this and then went on to ignore her sentiment, "A sweet thought, which could only stem from a pathetic, weak being—a femme," he shook his head and waved her off rudely, then focused his attention on Optimus, walking forward toward him, "It has taken me centuries, but I have collected all the knights," he shot a look to the largest cell. Then, without warning, his hand transformed into a claw-like razor, and he slammed it into what could be described as Optimus' ankle, and finished his thought, "all of them, _besides you._" He ungracefully dragged Optimus across the floor, where a large and empty cell lay dormant. It was tall for Optimus to stand comfortable, but stand only.

Optimus groaned as he dragged him towards the cellar, trembling returning to Mira. She peered over the edge of her platform, and considered jumping—no, 30 feet was too high for a human to withstand impact; she'd break something, or shatter her spine. So instead she opted to sit, as rage and fear overtook her nerves. Lockdown whipped Optimus' foot forward, where out of nowhere a huge claw-like hand extended forward to catch it, and sank its talons into his ankle plating. Optimus moaned at this loudly, now suspended upside down, and his back slammed into the inner wall of the pod-shaped prison, which could only be seen out the front. There was a sharp click, and Mira strained to see spikes come out of the wall, prohibiting Prime from any movements beside sitting dormant. His optics, taking in his surroundings, checked all around him until he finally realized he couldn't fight, and he was still; stopping all fighting and struggling. Lockdown stood before the opening of the pod, and Optimus glared at him. Mira could find no words.

"The creators want to wipe their chessboard clean," he looked at Optimus, and then to Mira, then retracted the claw-like razor back into his armor. Optimus dangled there, and for the first time since boarding the vessel, spoke directly to Lockdown.

"I am enslaved to no one but the Matrix," he said coldly, then looked around Lockdown as he moved towards the cell, to find Mira, who watched the scene carefully. She swallowed thickly again, locked eyes with him, and mouthed the words to him: 'I'm okay'. Relief flooded his optics and Lockdown bent just within the opening of the pod, outstretching a hand to only grab his face in his hand.

"The creator's know of your guardian bond to that femme," still with Optimus' face in his hand, turned to look over his shoulder and trust an accusing finger to Mira, "and all the species mixing with species, well, it upsets the cosmic balance," he pulled Optimus' face towards his, spitting the words with angry ferocity, "the Creators, they don't like it." He then pointed a finger and rested it against Optimus chin plating roughly, "…they built you to do what you were told." Then, he roughly released Optimus, and slammed him into the wall of his pod. Stepping out of the door, he touched the side of the cell, and the bars fell into place with a shattering, echoing boom.

"If I am what you want," Optimus began roughly, "then you have me. Just release her, she has nothing to do with any of this." His voice was filled with hatred, heavy demand, and impatience. It scared Mira for a moment, the darkness that had come over him, and she stood, to be eye level with Lockdown. He scanned over her with his optics and lifted a finger to place it roughly under her chin. He used it to move her face slightly to the left as if he were a trader inspecting goods.

"She has everything to do with the Matrix," his eyes leveled at her chest, where the Shield was dangling, helplessly cold and dormant. She reached up with a hand to cover it in a fist, and he removed his finger from her chin, "The Shield holds undeniable power to the beholder," he began, looking over his shoulder at Optimus with a haughty look, "and to the Keeper…" he looked back to her, "the world is at their fingertips."

"You know the Shield will not work in the hands of someone it is not coded to," Optimus challenged behind him, then it must've resonated within him, because he got a look of utter and pure terror that Mira had never seen in Optimus Prime before: he locked his eyes on her and hoarsed out the next sentence, "…and it is coded unto Mira."

Mira's face paled, and she staggered a step forward. Lockdown got a look of joy on his face, a joy that was only given from the darkest of places to the vilest of beings. She glared at him and backed away from him slowly, "I will do nothing for you."

"I disagree," Lockdown challenged with a chortle, "you will do whatever I ask, when I ask. Otherwise," he looked to Optimus, "…I will kill your Prime."

…

"They're anchoring in the city!" Tessa exclaimed, "Look, just off the harbor!" She patted the dash of the Camaro frantically, "go, 'Bee, hurry!"

"We can board from the bridge," Cade looked over the driver's seat and out the rear window, where Drift and Crosshairs were quickly gaining on the Camaro, Hound not too far behind. Drift had taken the frantic Merrick with him, assuring the adults that he could calm the boy. Bryce had opted for Hound, to run some weapon's checks and plot their boarding, since Hound was second under Optimus.

This entire scenario scared the living daylights out of Cade, but he could've just abandon Mira, not after what he'd seen in her. She had too much spunk for him to just ignore and push aside; he was already chest deep in this conspiracy, he might as well go head under in it and go the heart of the matter. Boarding Lockdown's ship was going to be difficult—just the sheer size of it demanded attention, as well as reconsideration. He'd done that, over and over, and decided that the only way to stop KSI and Lockdown was to get Mira and Optimus back.

The ship was constructed much like Cybertronian's—with gaps in the armor, which he could only assume were shielded by some type of matter, to keep the atmospheric pressure balanced and in check, especially if Lockdown was planning to take a human into space. He wondered if that matter was retracted since they were on earth—he got his answer when the vessel fired chord-like anchors to keep itself grounded. They'd get inside one of the openings with the other Autobots and find Mira and Optimus, and hopefully be able to avoid Lockdown—and maybe only have to kill a few guards. That's if they were lucky.

They were crossing the bridge into Chicago, and the ship was going to be too far from the bridge for them to board in a matter of moments, so they had to act now, while the vessel was close enough for Cade and the others to extend a hand to and grab on.

"STOP!" Cade exclaimed, Bumblebee putting on the brakes instantly. Crosshairs and Drift skidded to a stop on either side of the Camaro, and Hound came up beside Drift. All of the vehicles released their respective passengers, Cade shouldering the backpack. They all began their transformation, cars screaming to a panicked halt around them and reversing or speeding up to flee the scene. Cade, Bryce, Tessa, and Merrick all stepped up to the protective railing off the vessel, and Cade extended a hand to touch the alien metal. It was warm and thrumming. Grabbing on, he began climbing his way up the armor until he could stand firmly and securely on the top of the ship. Extending a hand down to Tessa, he then looked down to the water, so far below them and ever a threatening danger.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed roughly, "We don't have time!" Tessa, looking insanely terrified, took his hand and he hoisted her up. Bryce lifted Merrick, the ship floating away gently, then scrambled over the railing to climb beside them. All four humans looked to the Autobots, who looked back at them as if they were insane.

"You're all friggin' crazy!" Crosshairs exclaimed, "Lockdown will skin you alive if he catches you."

Drift glared at him, grabbed onto the ship, and was lifted from the bridge, now laughing, "Where is your sense of honor, Crosshairs? We must get Mira and Optimus back, and to do that requires us to board."

Hound side and playfully saulked Crosshairs in the shoulder armor, "C'mon, you fragger, let's get this over with." Bumblebee was already boarded and approaching the humans, as was Drift. Hound hung, his fat chassi suspended over the water until he clumsily managed to stand on his servos. Crosshairs was the last to board, and they all approached Bumblebee, who had opened a hatch and was waving them come.

"This is a bad idea." He muttered.


	35. Twenty-Nine

**Twenty-Nine**

**...**

Mira's heart stopped, she swore it.

The three of them were quiet as Lockdown's rang off the walls of his ship, shooting through her chest like cannon fodder. Every part of her body began to burn, until she thought she'd faint. Lockdown just looked at her as if he'd won the lottery of all lotteries, and she despised him in that moment. Terribly and utterly hated his very being.

There was a thought, though, that came to her. One she couldn't resist from asking, so she asked it carefully, as if it were a snake going to bite her: "If you wanted to kill Optimus, then you'd have nothing to give to your creators, would you?"

This encompassed silence in its wake. So much so that Lockdown approached her podium-type prison. He placed his hands on either side of her and sneered, now optic-to-eye with her. She stood strong, unwilling to relent to his horrible optics. "Mira." Optimus spoke behind her, with force. She, perhaps for the first time, ignored him.

"Watch what you say human. You don't have to speak with what I have planned for you." The threat was icy, and she narrowed her optics at him. Then, curling his lip, he abruptly turned and surprisingly began to powerdown unto his Lamborghini mode. Mira peered over the edge and spoke her next sentiment.

"You know the others will be coming for us," she stated matter-of-factly, "and yet you still insist that your brilliant plan will work." Crossing her arms over her chest, she snorted, "You have no idea who you're messing with."

"Autobots are like sparklings," the voice came from behind her now, though he was still parked before her on the ground of the ship. Mira whipped around, reached into her waist-band for her gun and pulled it instinctively. She lowered it instantly when she saw a human across the podium, hands at his sides, starting at her with a mixture of hatred, curiosity, and exploration. Mira did not at all like those three adjectives, which were what came to mind. He continued, the voice of Lockdown was still clear and loud; "if you are careful enough, you can predict their movements. It is not difficult to read the mind of a child."

Mira, terrified and greatly confused, while knowing she couldn't really harm a holoform, put some insurance (or at least what she thought would be insurance at the time) between them by taking aim right between his eyes. She could hardly see through her smudgy glasses, but she managed carefully, "Where'd you get the holoform?"

He chuckled, "You assume because your Autobots have been on this planet before the rest of my kind and have interacted with humans puts them at a cultural advantage," he stepped towards her, stalking like a predator, "you would assume wrong. I have my allegiances, and have made trades. I too have my resources." He stopped before her, "Courtesy of your friends memory banks."

This sent Optimus raging, "You have no right, Lockdown! Ratchet was a student of science-it is not your right to take from him what is his knowledge. You will pay for such an action!" His words were strong, and Mira's hand began to tremble slightly as she thought about Ratchet, and his death-at this man's hands. Rage purged through her.

_Be wise as a serpent, and gentle as a dove. _

It came quietly, out of the recesses of her mind. The thought stirred her soul, and she swallowed thickly. How could she be wise? Lockdown was two steps ahead of them at every turn. Gentility had never been her strong point either-she was a tomboy, and tomboys were not inherently gentle. And she was a soldier, on top of that. She, keeping distance between them still with the gun pointed at his face, had to hold the weapon with both hands now to keep steady. The context of her situation was beginning to cement within her: she was a prisoner, in hell, essentially.

In a swift movement, Lockdown grabbed her wrist in an iron fist. He squeezed to the point where Mira protested, and she sank to her knees as the pain began not only ringing throughout her entire body, but began literally coursing up her veins. She felt something inject into the veins of her wrist, and watched as he retracted some type of probe. In an instant the pain was gone and he pulled her up, to where she stood before him. Then, raising his arm, he pulled her to him, Mira staggering forward and losing her balance. She now was entirely suspended by her arm, which he was still brutally holding, almost hanging. They locked eyes again, him looking down at her with the intensity of hatred itself. She could hear his spark whirring through his holographic chest. A lock of fallen curl fell into her face.

"Release her! Release her now, Lockdown!" Optimus bellered behind them. Both ignored him. Mira, utterly terrified now, ignored too the pain beginning to pierce her shoulder muscles. Lockdown's holoform did not seem phased in the slightest.

"You are my property, human. I own you." He lowered his face farther into hers and sneers, "and as such, I am free to do whatever explorations I desire. Of any kind."

Her eyes widened. Appalled by his implication, she spoke"You have no soul," it was a growled statement. Her face contorted into what she assumed to be a rageful mess. Surprised, he raised a brow slightly-ever so slightly. "And I despise you." With that, she spat in his face; a nice thick line of saliva traced across his face. He, mortified, squawked and roughly released her-sending her flying a good three feet in the air and across the podium.

"MIRA!" Optimus was rattling his prison now, like a rageful bull awaiting release. Pain flared up her arm and into her shoulder as she felt something pop upon impact with the hard metal, but she relished watching him wipe the human slime from his face. "You know nothing of human women, and I do not fear you." She rolled over onto her side and glared at him.

"Do not be so sure. I have done my research on your kind. Your gender is not as complex as you would think. All things can be configured-with the right kind of exploration."

"You're bluffing," she breathed.

He then stalked towards her. With a rough kick, he overturned her onto her back. Swinging a leg over her body, he crouched over her, and chuckled manically. Lockdown took his holographic hand and seized her jaw roughly, and shook his head, "Trust me, femme; I do not bluff. I am fully calibrated for any type of research you or I could imagine." A sly half smile came onto his face and his eyes flashed wickedly, "It will be quite a ride, metaphorically speaking." He released her face with a light toss of his hand, and she rolled onto her side away from him as he stood beside her now, no longer straddling her. Forcing herself up, she rubbed her jawline and glared daggers at him.

"You make me _sick." _She almost gagged.

He chuckled. "You will learn otherwise."

The holoform left them, and Lockdown roared away from them, clearing the gap of the Terminus, before revving his engine and disappearing into the inner workings of the vessel. She heard the engines flare to life, and shot a look to Optimus, who was watching her as if his life depended on it. She searched his optics for any type of reassurance.

"Everything will be alright, Miriam," he used a soft tone with her real name.

At that moment, her knees hit the floor with a clang, and pain spiked up her spinal column and rested in the base of her neck. She didn't care though, but instead threw her head back stared at the ceiling of this awful ship, and felt her stomach drop.

She screamed, too.

...

Merrick had looked at the ship inside.

It was scary big-the type of big that made Merrick feel like a mouse. It had to be a trillion-at least-feet tall, and almost a trillion feet wide. He'd never seen anything so huge! He'd been in some pretty big buildings in Dallas, Texas. But never this big!

And man was it cool! It was all metal and mechanical looking, like the Autobots. There were pod-looking things, and lifts, and walkways, and little machines milling around working hard. It looked like something straight out of Star Wars, or some sci-fi movies, and Merrick couldn't get enough of it! It was as cool-maybe, MAYBE cooler-than watching the Autobots transform, or going really fast with Drift of Bumblebee, or even the fact that his Mom was best friends with Optimus Prime—a leader!

This all felt like a dream. Merrick pinched himself on the top of the hand to make sure he was awake—yep, he was awake. No way! It was unbelievable, all of this…and his mother was here, with Optimus, as a prisoner. He didn't like that, and he was still scared about her. He wanted her back. With Dad gone, what would he do if Mom…if Mom died? The thought scared him.

"Come here, buddy," Cade said. He and Uncle Bryce had made it down the steep ramp they'd been sliding down slowly into the ship from the surface. Bumblebee had found the entrance and had been the first to scout out down there, and he had given them the all clear. The Autobots had insisted the humans go first, and Cade and Uncle Bryce had made it down successfully, as had Tessa. Merrick was the only one struggling, since he had short legs. Cade had his arms extended for Merrick to continue. "I'll getchya, buddy."

It was touch—the metal wasn't really metal at all. The ramp was a mixture of cords and tubes and wires. Everything was hugely hard for a six year boy like himself to maneuver, and his boots were not making any traction. He was sliding faster than he could control himself, and finally a big hand came up behind him and scooped him up. Surprised, Merrick looked beside him to see Hound inching down the ramp, him now in hand. "Havin' some trouble there, younglin'?" He gave Merrick a tough smile and a wink, and his big feet hit the ground beside Cade and the others. Drift leapt swiftly off the ramp about halfway down and managed to make an almost silent fall, like ninja's did in the movies, and Crosshairs was the last one of them down, protesting the entire way that this was a bad idea.

Hound set him down next to Cade, and Bryce outstretched his hand to Merrick. Wrapping his hand in his uncle's, he looked around, backpack over his shoulder still. His neck was craned back to stare at the ceiling, so high above them all.

"Well this is new," Hound sighed, "Lockdown's ship has to have a cargo hold…sine he, ya know," He cocked his gun and slammed a round of oversized ammo into the chamber, "I'd say they're at the bridge, or the cargo hold."

"Yeah, because those are just right next to each other," Crosshairs rolled his optics sarcastically, "Thanks much for the though, Detective Hound. But we have to fraggin' get off this thing—it's going to leave with us still on it, and then we're friggin' screwed out the aft." Bumblebee gave him a glare, Drift was still taking in their surroundings.

"Crosshairs is right," Drift said casually, "we have roughly nine minutes before the deep matter drives are at full capacity. They are filling up now." Merrick could hear a deep thrumming sound, kind of like helicopter blades—but only bigger.

"Can't we just comm them?" Cade interjected. Everyone look at him and he shrugged, "I mean, they'll respond and tell us where they are, right?"

"In theory, yes," Hound interjected with a snort, "But that EMP on Optimus probably scrambled 'im until he reboots his comm. And Mira, I'm not sure. I ain't getting' nutthin' from anyone—so we're goin' solo on this one, femmes and mechs." He sound less than pleased. "Oughta be fun, I've been waitin' to kill somethin'."

Drift gave a frustrated sigh and stroked one of his fingers alone the blade of one of his swords, "We have the element of surprise," he scanned the area, "let us use violence as a last resort."

Merrick would have agreed that being quiet was the best idea. But, there was a sudden gurgling scream, and a huge tentacle of some type of monster-like creature suddenly appeared form the wall behind them. It was huge, and pink, and wriggling in a slimy mess of danger. It flailed out of its apparent prison, straight towards he and Bryce. Cade had dived to the left, and Bryce had ducked and rolled out of the way. Tessa ran the opposite direction, screaming, taking cover around the corner. Merrick had no time to think as it began frantically flailing towards him.

"MERRICK!" Bryce screamed, popping to his feet. Cade did as well, and they both pulled their guns. Before they could aim, there was a screaming warrior cry, and frantic stabbing and sparks going into the wall-like enclosure. Drift was rampaging an attack deep into the wall with his blade, screaming like a warrior at war, until the tentacle retracted, hissed and whined, finally retreating. Drift, now breathing heavily, gave his staring comrades a slight look over his shoulder.

"It isn't alive anymore," he then turned to face them, and took a knee before Merrick, setting his sword beside him and taking the tip of his index finger to plant it under Merrick's chin, graciously. "You are alright?" He asked kindly.

Merrick nodded rapidly, all smiles. This guy was awesome! "Yep. Thanks for killing that thing and saving my life."

Drift chuckled and winked at him, "My pleasure, young Merrick."

Crosshairs had facepalmed and was shaking his head, "Alright, ladies; what's the plan here? We got what—eight minutes to find Optimus and get the pit out of here?" He sounded irritated, and Merrick glared at him.

"They might be in the same place," Hound interjected roughly, "But I doubt Lockdown is that stupid."

_"But you've been wrong before," _The radio crackled to life beside the group. Bryce and Bumblebee were standing side by side before Bryce was the next to speak, gun still cocked and ready to fire to life.

"We aren't leavin' without the both of them," he said, angrily shooting a look to Crosshairs, "You had better not be asking me to leave my sister here, otherwise you'll fraggin' wish you were never born."

Crosshairs raised an optic ridge. "Ooooo, touchy are we?" He shook his head and then bent to stare at Bryce, "Well, I'm all for getting' Optimus back. But if he ain't with Mira, well, you're on your own. You humans ain't done anything for me, and I am not about to do anything for yo—"

Within seconds the group came to life. Bumblebee, Hound, and Drift all stepped towards him, cornering him against the ramp they'd descended just moments before. Drift's blade leveled at his chest, Hound's blaster rubbed up against his chin, and Bumblebee focused his solar cannon straight in the back of his head. Instantly, Crosshairs frowned at all them, face turned against Hound's blaster, and put up his hands in surrender, "Primus, guys…use words for pit sake!"

"We're getting the girl back, and the boss," Hound grumbled, his "cigar" wagging in his mouth lazily. "Capeesh?"

"_The girl comes with me," _Bumblebee quickly switched frequencies, "_Any questions, class?" _Crosshairs glared at him, and Bryce stepped forward into this standoff, gun leveled at Crosshairs head. Cade's was as well, and they looked like some type of duo—like Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon—ready to pop the bad guy. Merrick watched from behind them all, trembling. Tears pooled at his eyes—Crosshairs didn't want to save his mom.

"Say one more word, and I'll blow out your optics," Bryce snarled, "After all my sister's done for you; you ungrateful sonnuva—"

"—stop!" Merrick suddenly burst. He jetted into the circle, crying now, and pointed up at Crosshairs, "Listen here, you big green snotrod!" The entire group whipped a look to him and he frowned, entirely serious, "We're getting' Momma back, and Uncle Optimus," he gave Cade and Uncle Bryce a look, "Otherwise, Lockdown's gunna kill them, and then what? It's just like GI Joes—you have to rescue the good guys to win the war." He crossed his arms, "And I'm not leaving anyone behind," he shot a look to Crosshairs again. "—especially Ma."

Crosshairs looked to the group and finally nodded his understanding. All the weapons came down and he gave Merrick a disgusted look, "Fine. The weapons have it. I'm in—but I ain't happy about it."

"Good job, kid," Cade slapped a hand on his shoulder. Tessa had reappeared from her place around the corner, still trembling after the entire monster instant. She rubbed her arm as Cade wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and squeezed. Cade winked Merrick and pointed towards the left, down the walkway with the gun. "I'd say let's roll."

"Lockdown probably has the both of them somewhere where he can keep his optics on them," Hound suggested, "I'd say start at the cockpit, but I'm no expert in rescue missions."

"The cockpit it is then," Bryce said firmly, "Let's not waste anymore time." He took a few steps forward, slowly, gun pointed slightly in front—in a low, ready position. Cade gestured with his head for Tessa and Merrick to step between them. They began walking, and Tessa looked down at him and smiled softly.

"You ok?" He asked her quietly. She shrugged a shoulder and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I'd like to say that I am, but I'd be lying. I'm scared crapless," she wrapped her arms around her middle, "but everyone is so brave. I just don't want to be the girl of the entire situation."

"You _are _a girl," Merrick said matter-of-factly, "you can be scared. It's okay."

Tessa shook her head, "Your mom's a girl and she's not afraid of anything."

This made Merrick think. Sure, his mom was afraid of stuff; she just never really showed it much. He could imagine she'd be scared right now, like he was; wondering if he'd ever see her again—alive. The thought made his stomach hurt. Tessa really did look scared and she was skitterish. So, Merrick reached up with his little hand and patted the top of her, then she unfisted it. Her interlaced her fingers and strolled beside her as if they were in Central Park and not an enemy ship. "Mom's scared of lots of stuff—snakes, mostly. But she says we really never have anything to be scared of, because Jesus is with us. He's with us right now, and He won't let nothin' happen to us if He don't want it to happen." He shrugged a shoulder as if it were simple logic. "Don't be scared Tessa—I'm here, and I'm not scared."

She looked at him and cracked a half smile, then tousled his hair with her free hand. "You're a pretty awesome kid, you know that?" She winked at him, "Thanks, cutie. That helps."

He beamed at her, and Crosshairs was to her left, shooting them a look of disapproval. "Quiet up there, munchkins. Shh." This earned him a glare by both kids, and he rolled his eyes and looked away, gun still raised in a low-ready position. "Sparklings."

.Men," Tessa countered, sticking her tongue out. He did the same, and this disturbed both of them to the point of recoil. He chuckled.

"A glossa—our version of a tongue," Drift said suddenly, appearing at Merrick right. Merrick smiled at him and Drift gave him a friendly wink, then gave a stern look at Crosshairs. "Watch what you say, Crosshairs. You are not from the actings of a child yourself."

"Would you ladies hush it?" Hound muttered ahead of them, "And pick it up, humans! You're laggin'!"

Tessa gave Merrick another look. "You think they're always this finicky?"

Merrick shrugged. "Mom said they're all just big kids—besides Optimus."

"Your mother _would _say that," Crosshairs uttered.

…

She'd cried herself into what seemed like a coma.

Mira just sat there, staring at the exit which led to the rest of the ship, where Lockdown had left. Every inch of her felt numb, and hopeless.

So, this is where NEST had led her. Hell, basically, and Lockdown was the Devil. She was captured; separated from her son (which she no idea if he'd even survived this far). She had no job, her house was probably under observation, and she officially had no life in the system—she was dead to the United States, handed over by her own kind, and now she was going into outer space, where she was going die. Die, that was, if Lockdown allowed her to die. He would keep her alive long enough to break her strength and resilience and resolve. He'd keep her alive to keep Optimus alive—and he'd kill her soul in the process. The threat of being an experiment, a slave, an explorative prostitute for an alien bounty hunter, and being suspended into the air on a podium to be put on display by her other fellow prisoners during the process; would've broken a lesser woman.

Mira was determined, however, that she would not be a lesser woman. At least not yet.

"Mira," Optimus said, again. He'd been trying to talk to her after her screaming fit, but she'd ignored him. She just sat, now, legs crossed and watching the entrance with hatred and a shred of hope less than the size of the smallest atom science had ever known. She bowed her head, having tied her hair into a loose side braid, and closed her eyes.

_Oh Lord, what am I going to do? I'm…I'm basically in hell. What's going on? Where are You? Jesus, I need you now more than ever—get me and Optimus out of here, watch over Merrick and Bryce. Forgive me for dragging Cade and his sweet girl Tessa into this…help me forgive her. I…I just don't know what to do…._

Her prayer was like a run on sentence; fueled by a fire that would never die. Her heart was hammering inside her chest cavity like an earthquake rattling within her. She felt as if she'd vomit her very being onto the podium in front of her.

Optimus tried again, "Miriam. Do not lose hope," he stated quietly. She turned her head to look at him, a stony cold expression on her face, "we will get out of this. The Autobots will not let Lockdown leave without a fight—we have overcome much more than this."

She looked away. "I—I lost Merrick. I failed," she whispered, hardly audible. She pulled the comm from her ear and fingered it, then reached up for the Shield, "and I have let the Shield fall into enemy hands. I…I have failed everyone."

He sounded hurt, "Do _not _say that, Mira. You have not failed. You've stumbled, but you can be picked back up." She turned to face him full on now, and unlooped the Shield from around her neck. "If anyone has failed today, it is I. I was unable to protect you from Lockdown, or from any of this," he looked away from her, still upside down, "And the Shield is still in your possession, so do not consider it a failure. Until it falls away from you, it is not at danger. It is in Autobot hands."

This made her heart swell. Tears began to pool in her eyes, and she pushed her glasses up on top of her head. Swiping at her eyes, she released a shaky breath, unwilling to sob in front of Prime again. She did her best to speak, "You…you still see me as an Autobot?"

"What a ludicrous question," Optimus chastised, "If you are not an Autobot, than I am not Prime. You are more of an Autobot than most of my kind could ever be, Mira. Do not doubt your worth—it infuriates me that you would even ask such a question!" His voice was strong, filled with chastising venom that stung the open wounds of her emotions.

There was a gruff snort behind her, and she stood, looking over her shoulder at it. The glowing red eyes, still amazingly frightening, seemed softer now, confused. Mira studied them, and found an imprisoned and hurt sorrow there that broke her very heart for the creature. Obviously Cybertronian by the features of his face, she bit her lower lip and looked over her shoulder. Optimus watched her, and she swallowed thickly. Locking eyes with the being, she blinked once.

"You will be free. So long as I am the Keeper of the Matrix of Leadership, you will be free."

The being just stared, and snorted.


End file.
